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I 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

II 
A  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 


SfacK 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

BRIEFLY  TOLD 

From  the  Patriarchal  Era  to  the  Present  Day 

together  with 

A  CONFIRMATION   MANUAL 

by 
MAURICE  H.  HARRIS,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Author  of 

"The  People   of  the  Book" 

"A   Thousand   Years  of  Jenvish  History" 

" 'History  of  the  Medieval  Jews" 

"Modern  Jpwis/i  History" 


NEW  YORK 

BLOCK     PUBLISHING     COMPANY 
1919 


Copyright,  1919 
J5v  Maurice  H .  Harris 


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Annex 

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PREFACE 

"The  Story  of  the  Jew"  was  first  prepared  for  the  Jewish 
Welfare  Board  of  Army  and  Navy,  for  the  use  of  students  in 
training  at  the  universities,  under  the  War  Department.  The 
Armistice  broke  up  and  dispersed  these  groups,  removing  the 
need  for  this  booklet. 

But  I  have  been  urged  by  some  who  have  been  kind  enough 
to  read  the  manuscript,  to  issue  it  for  the  use  of  post-graduate 
classes  and  Alumni  groups,  offering  the  opportunity  for  a  broad 
survey  and  rapid  review  of  Biblical  and  post-Biblical  history 
studied  in  the  religious  school  course.  Hence,  the  present  pro- 
duction. 

To  make  it  also  serviceable  for  Confirmation  classes,  there  is 
here  appended  a  summary  of  the  Jewish  faith,  the  Decalogue, 
the  Calendar,  Judaism's  Sacred  Days,  and  other  material  needful 
for  a  Confirmation  Manual. 

Fifteen  years  ago  I  published  "Readings  from  Scripture  for 
Every  Day  in  the  Year."  These  were  arranged  and  classified  to 
present  under  appropriate  heads  the  Doctrines,  Ethics  and  Insti- 
tutes of  the  Jewish  religion.  This  has  been  thoroughly  revised 
and  is  now  included  in  this  little  volume.  A  few  of  the  refer- 
ences are  from  the  Apocrypha. 

These  Readings  may  also  be  profitably  taken  up  in  connection 
with  the  Confirmation  course. 

They  may  likewise  be  found  useful  by  principals  of  public 
schools  in  offering  selections  for  Assembly  reading. 

M.  H.  H. 


21O5949 


CONTENTS 

THE  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

PAGE 

PREFACE      ----------  5 

PART  ONE  In  Bible  Days 

The  Patriarchs  ;  Moses  ;  the  national  story  ;  the 
divided  kingdom ;  the  religious  story ;  the  Pro- 
phets; the  spiritual  function  of  Israel;  the  Law  11-18 

PART  Two  After  the  Exile 

Exile,    not    prison,    but    nursery ;    the    Bible ; 
scribes  and  rabbis  ;  under  Greek  rule ;  Hanr.ka ; 
Sadducees  and  Pharisees ;  Rome ;  Jesus  of  Naz- 
areth; Judea's  downfall      ------      19-28 

PART  THREE       Israel  Scattered  through  the  World 

The  Jewish  Academies  ;  the  Talmud ;  the  Middle 
Ages  ;  the  Wandering  Jew ;  Islam ;  a  golden  era 
in  Spain ;  Jewish  scholarship ;  teachers  of  mor- 
als ;  poets  and  savants ;  Maimonides ;  persecu- 
tion ;  banishment  ___-._  29-42 

PART  FOUR  Emancipation 

The  Renaissance  and  the  Reformation;  the 
nations  reopen  their  doors ;  the  Ghetto's  isola- 
tion ;  Mendelssohn ;  the  French  Revolution ; 
Poland ;  Russia ;  America ;  social  ostracism ; 
Zionism;  The  World  War  -  43-54 


CONTENTS 

CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

PAGE 

The  Jewish  Calendar    -        -        -        -        -        -        -        -  57 

Hebrew  Months,  with  dates  of  Festivals  and  Solemn  Days  58 

JUDAISM'S  SACRED  DAYS 

The  Three  Festivals  of  Pilgrimage : 

I    Pesach,   Passover     ------:  -th 

II     Shabuoth,   Pentecost                 . .      .        .        .  ^ 

III    Succoth   Tabernacles        -        -        -        ...  fo 

The  Two  Holy  Days: 

Rosh  Hashana,   New   Year      -----  6^ 

Yom  Kippur,  Day  of  Atonement  63 

THE  Two  MINOR  FEASTS 

Purim,  Feast  of  Lots     -        -        -        -        -        .        _  ^ 

Hanuka,    Dedication        -        -     ..-  _        .        _        _  .      _  ^ 

FAST  DAYS 

The  Ninth  of  Ab   -        -        -        -        -        -        .     '  .  <,7 

Minor  Fasts      ----'-.-...  fyj 

THE  JEWISH  FAITH 

Some  Religious  Definitions     -                 -        -        -        -  (17 

The  Ten  Commandments        -        -        -        -        -        -  70 

Doctrines  of  the  Jewish  Faith        -  72 

Declaration  of  Confirmants    ------  74 

Benedictions  on  Reading  the  Law  -  76 
Prayers  for  Confirmants     --------77 

Confirmation  Hymn        -------  73 


.Index  to  Daily  Readings  from  Scripture   -  see  page   81 


THE  STORY 
OF  THE  JEW 


Part  One 
IN   BIBLE   DAYS 


The  Patriarchs 

The  story  of  our  people  takes  us  back  to  the  begin- 
nmg  of  the  world's  history.  Abraham,  father  of  the 
Hebrew  race,  who  left  home  and  kindred  "to  go  to  a 
land  that  God  would  show,"  flourished  nearly  4,000 
years  ago,  when  the  Babylonians,  earliest  of  the  civil- 
ized nations,  were  at  their  prime. 

His  grandson  Jacob  (whose  name  was  changed  to 
Israel),  settled  with  his  family  in  Egypt,  the  civiliza- 
tion of  which  is  older  than  that  of  Greece.  "Forty 
centuries  are  looking  down  upon  you,"  said  Napoleon 
to  his  army,  pointing  to  the  pyramids.  Yes,  the  breth- 
ren of  Joseph,  toiling  as  slaves  in  the  brick  fields  on 
the  Nile,  gazed  on  the  same  obelisks  that  can  be  seen 
in  the  parks  of  New  York  and  London  today. 

Moses 

It  was  here  that  Moses  appeared  as  Israel's  deliv- 
erer. If  we  try  to  express  all  that  he  did  in  two  words, 
they  would  be  Liberty  and  Religion.  First  he  re- 
deemed Israel  from  Egyptian  slavery,  a  memory  ever 
kept  alive  in  the  Passover  Festival.  Secondly,  he  gave 
them  the  Ten  Commandments  at  Mount  Sinai. 

From  that  time  on  there  are  two  stories  told  of  our 
people:  first,  a  story  of  the  growth  of  the  Jewish  na- 

ii 


12  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

tion ;  second,  the  story  of  the  growth  of  the  Jewish 
faith.    Let  us  follow  each  separate  strand. 
The  National 
Story 

As  a  nation  we  see  Israel  crossing  the  Jordan  under 
the  leadership  of  Joshua,  and  gradually  settling  in 
Canaan.  We  might  compare  their  status  in  these 
rough  times  to  that  of  the  settlers  of  the  colonies  on 
the  American  continent  in  the  17th  century.  Slowly 
the  twelve  tribes  are  welded  into  a  nation  under  the 
leadership  of  chieftains,  called  Judges,  notably,  Gid- 
eon, Deborah,  Samuel.  Although  Saul  was  provision- 
ally chosen  as  the  first  king,  not  till  Davjd  came  was 
a  royal  house  firmly  established,  that  .continued  from 
about  1100  to  600  B.  c.  E.  He  conquered,  Jerusalem 
and  established  it  as  the  capital.  (This  has  since  come 
to  be  regarded  as  the.  Holy  City  of  the  three  foremost 
religions  of  the  world).  This  resolute  leader  extended 
and  strengthened  the  land  and  left  to  his  son  Solomon 
a  powerful  empire. 

The  Divided 
Kingdom 

But,  although  the  latter  built  the  Temple  and  was 
said  to  have  been  a  wise  man,  like  most  Eastern  mon- 
archs,  he  was  too  pleasure-loving  to  win  the  loyal 
affections  of  his  people.  So  after  his  death  ten  of  the 
tribes,  groaning  under  the  taxation  imposed  to  main- 
tain the  royal  state,  broke  away  and  formed  a  separate 
kingdom,  which  they  called  "Israel,"  because  it  in- 
cluded the  bulk  of  the  Israelites.  Judah  remained  a 
nation  by  itself.  The  best  spirits  among  our  ancestors 
mourned  this  break  and  looked  forward  to  a  reunion, 
realizing  that  "in  union  there  is  strength." 


IN  BIBLE  DAYS  13 

These  two  little  kingdoms,  sometimes  at  war,  some- 
times at  peace,  continued  side  by  side  for  some  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years.  But  they  were  no  match  for 
the  vast  empires  sweeping  over  Asia.  In  those  days 
the  rights  of  "small  nations"  were  not  always  respec- 
ted— might  made  right.  One  of  these  great  powers  was 
Assyria.  Of  its  people  we  have  learned  much  in  mod- 
ern days  by  unearthing  their  buried  ruins,  and  deciph- 
ering their  writing,  called  "cuneiform"  because  of  its 
wedge-shaped  letters.  We  find  they  were  clever  but 
cruel.  One  by  one  the  little  kingdoms,  Tyre,  Sidon  and 
Syria  fell  before  their  mighty  hosts.  The  kingdom  of 
Israel  (sometimes  named  Samaria,  after  its  chief  city) 
was  finally  reached,  and  fell  in  the  year  722  B.  c.  E. 

Most  of  its  inhabitants  were  taken  into  exile.  That 
was  the  method  of  ancient  conquerors  to  prevent  fu- 
ture uprising.  What  became  of  "the  lost  ten  tribes" 
after  their  banishment,  has  since  been  a  subject  of 
speculation.  Perhaps  the  best  spirits  ameng  them 
drifted  down  into  the  smaller  kingdom  of  Judah,  \vhich 
lasted  a  little  longer.  It  too  was  finally  overthrown 
by  the  Babylonians  in  586  B.  c.  E.  The  Judeans  too 
were  exiled.  We  get  a  glimpse  of  their  disconsolate 
condition  in  Psalm  137: 

"By  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  there  we  sat  down ; 
Yea,  we  wept  when  we  remembered  Zion.  .  .  . 
If  I  forget  thee  O  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand 
forget  her  cunning." 

But  Judah,  unlike  Israel,  though  exiled  was  not  lost ; 
that  is,  they  were  not  absorbed  by  their  surroundings. 
Their  deeper  religious  conviction  had  much  to  do  with 
their  survival.  When  Persia,  another  great  power  of 


14  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

those  days,  overthrew  Babylonia,  the  Jews  (Jude- 
ans),  were  permitted  to  return  to  their  beloved  land, 
and  rebuild  their  Temple.  Though  no  longer  an  inde- 
pendent nation,  they  were  allowed  to  live  their  own 
life  in  their  own  way. 

The  Religious  Story 

Now  to  take  up :  the  second  strand  of  the  story  of 
our  ancestors— which  is  vastly  more  important.  Israel 
became  a  power  in  the  world,  not  as  a  nation,  but  as 
a  teacher  of  religion.  Only  because  of  the  spiritual 
truths  it  has  been  our  privilege  to  contribute  to  the 
world,  are  we  alive  today. 

The  profound  ideas  of  a  spiritual  God,  of  man's 
moral  accountability,  and  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  have  been  slow  in  unfolding.  It  took  centuries 
to  grasp  the  concepts  that  God  is  wholly  spirit  and 
without  material  form,  that  He  is  the  sole  Ruler  of 
the  universe,  not  sharing  this  power  with  other  divin- 
ities; that  He  is  omniscient,  omnipresent  and  eternal^ 
that  He  is  absolutely  righteous  and  just  in  dealing 
with  His  children — not  favoring  Israel  more  than 
other  people,  though  they  were  the  first  to  recognize 
Him. 

The  Prophets 

These  truths  were  best  revealed  by  the  Prophets. 
Let  us  understand  what  these  men  were.  They  \vcre 
not  foretellers  of  the  future.  They  were  men  of  deep 
religious  nature,  inspired  by  the  Almighty  to  bring 
home  to  their  people  a  knowledge  of  God  and  His  law 
of  righteousness. 

It  took  Israel  centuries  to  learn  these  religious  prin- 
ciples, that  may  seem  so  simple  to  us  today.  The 


L\  BIBLE  DAYS  15 

nations  'among  whom  our  ancestors' lived  and  moved, 
believed  that  every  land  had  its  Separate  god,  whom 
they  worshipped  under  forms, -of  stone  and  wooden 
images.  These  gods  were  supposed  to  favor  those 
who  brought  them  offerings.  Many  superstitious  be- 
liefs were  entertained  about  these  gods,  leading  some- 
times to  cruel,  and  sometimes  to  immoral  practices.  It 
was  an  arduous  task  indeed  for  Moses  and  his  suc- 
cessors to  eradicate  these :  pagan  notions  from  the 
hearts  of  Israel.  They  labored  age  after  age  to  make 
clear  that  the  ceremony  of  religion  without  its  spirit 
was  vain.  Let  us  quote  the  words  of  one  of  these 
Prophets,  Micah,  to  make  clear  the  message  of  them 
all: 

"Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  the  Lord,  and  bow 
myself  before  God  on  high?  Shall  I  come  before  Him 
with  burnt  offerings,  with  calves  of  a  year  old?  Will 
the  Lord  be  pleased  with  thousands  of  rams,  with  ten 
thousands  of  rivers  of  oil?  Shall  I  give  my  first-born 
for  my  transgression,  the  fruit  of  my  body  for  the  sin 
of  my  soul?  It  hath  been  told  thee,  O  man;  what  is 
good,  and  what  the  Lord  doth  require  of  thee.  Only 
to  do  justly,  to  love  mercy  and  to  walk  humbly  with 
thy  God." 

The  Spiritual 
Function  of 
Israel 

Israel  was  never  great  as  a  nation-  Canaan  at  its 
largest  extent  in  the  days  of  King  Solomon,  was  but 
a  narrow  strip  of  land  on  the  Eastern  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea.  Nor  were  they  great  in  numbers. 
Beginning  as  a  wandering  shepherd  people,  they 


16  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

learned  many  of  the  simple  arts  and  agriculture  from 
their  neighbors.  When  settled  in  Canaan  they  could 
boast  of  no  vast  cities,  magnificent  buildings  or  majes- 
tic monuments,  such  as  they  had  seen  in  Babylon  and 
Egypt.  In  the  days  of  the  Judges,  they  lacked  smiths 
and  had  to  sharpen  their  tools  at  the  smithies  of  the 
Philistines.  They  had  later  to  send  to  Tyre  for  arti- 
sans to  construct  the  Temple. 

But  in  the  field  of  religion  and  in  the  conduct  of  life, 
Israel  stood  forth  pre-eminent,  with  something  to  give 
to  mankind.  Through  these  gifts  of  the  spirit,  they 
developed  a  high  sense  of  duty  that  gradually  singled 
them  out  from  their  surroundings. 

Like  ancient  man  in  general,  they  knew  little  of  the 
world  in  which  they  lived — of  the  laws  of  nature,  of  the 
earth's  form,  of  the  elements  and  their  properties,  of  the 
meaning  of  storm  and  eclipse  and  of  most  external  phe- 
nomena. Nonetheless,  while  the  human  race  had  to 
wait  thousands  of  years  before  discovering  the  composi- 
tion of  the  stars,  the  laws  of  light  and  sound,  of  motion, 
gravitation  and  the  complex  mechanism  of  their  bodies, 
our  ancestors  early  realized  that  all  creation  was  the  work 
of  God,  that  everything  was  made  to  serve  a  worthy  end, 
that  man  was  fashioned  in  the  divine  image. 

The  Hebrews  in  the  wilderness,  like  the  patriarchs, 
lived  in  frail  tents ;  but  these  "tents  were  beautiful"  be- 
cause of  the  sacredness  of  family  relations  within  them 
and  the  affection  binding  parents  and  children,  husbands 
and  wives.  "Isaac  took  Rebekah  into  Sarah's  tent  and 
was  comforted  after  his  mother's  death"  is  a  fair  picture 
of  these  primitive  homes. 

The  sanctity  of  human  life  was  early  realized.  "Whoso 
sheddeth  man's  blood,  by  man  shall  his  blood  be  shed." 


IN  BIBLE  DAYS  17 

Abraham  sat  at  the  door  of  his  tent  hospitably  to  wel- 
come the  passing  stranger.  Judah  was  ready  to  go  into 
slavery  only  that  he  might  fulfill  his  promise  to  his  father 
to  restore  Benjamin  to  him.  Joseph  returns  good  for 
evil  to  the  brothers  who  had  wronged  him,  seeing  in  their 
act  but  the  providence  of  God. 

The  Law 

Moses  the  lawgiver  impressed  upon  his  people  through- 
out all  his  ministry,  that  their  welfare  depended  on  their 
leading  pure  and  upright  lives.  Strict  justice  must  pre- 
vail in  all  the  relations  between  man  and  man.  Chastity 
was  to  be  prized  as  highly  as  life  itself.  They  must  "be 
holy  because  God  is  holy."  All  lewd  superstitions  were 
sternly  condemned.  The  Hebrew  slave  must  be  defended 
from  injury,  allowed  rest  on  the  Sabbath  and  be  freed 
in  the  seventh  year.  Special  consideration  was  urged  for 
the  poor,  the  widow,  the  orphan,  the  stranger;  also  hu- 
mane treatment  of  dumb  creatures. 

Even  in  those  rough  and  far-off  times  the  virtuous 
woman  was  held  in  highest  esteem ;  and  Deborah  was 
chosen  as  judge  and  counsellor.  The  rude  chieftain  Jeph- 
thah  recognized  the  solemnity  of  an  oath.  The  prophets 
stood  as  daring  exemplars  of  right  doing.  Nathan  did 
not  hesitate  to  rebuke  King  David's  betrayal  of  his  faith- 
ful servant  Uriah,  Elijah  scathingly  condemned  King 
Ahab  for  seizing  the  field  of  one  of  his  subjects  Naboth; 
and  Micaiah  submitted  to  imprisonment  rather  than 
utter  anything  but  the  truth. 

Although  ancient  Hebrew  practice  was  not  altogether 
free  from  the  cruelties  of  war,  yet  Israel's  monarchs 
earned  the  reputation  of  being  "merciful  kings,"  when 
in  conflict  with  Syria.  They  were  forbidden  to  rejoice 


I'd  STORY  OP  THE  JEW 

at  the  fall  of  an  enemy  and  were  bidden  to  give  food  to 
a  hungry  foe.  Wisdom  was  prized  higher  than  wealth 
and  as  "beginning  with  the  fear  of  the  Lord." 

Peace  was  identified  with  virtue  and  blessing ;  the  aboli- 
tion of  war  was  held  up  as  an  ideal,  when  "men  would 
beat  their  swords  into  ploughshares,"  when  "none  would 
hurt  nor  destroy  in  all  God's  holy  mountain  and  the  earth 
would  be  full  of  the  knowledge  of  God  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea." 


Part  II 
AFTER  THE   EXILE 

It  is  customary  to  make  the  Babylonian  Exile  one  of 
the  dividing  lines  in  Jewish  History.  Most  of  the  inci- 
dents told  in  the  Bible  occurred  before  the  Exile.  They 
deal  with  the  gradual  development  of  the  Israelitish  na- 
tion and  are  largely  political  in  their  nature ;  they  have 
much  to  tell  of  Kings  and  affairs  of  state,  of  war  and 
conquests. 

The  events  after  the  Exile  are  largely  religious.  It  is 
true  that  those  religious  geniuses,  the  Prophets,  nearly 
all  flourished  in  pre-exilic  days — such  as  Amos,  Hosea, 
Isaiah  (1-39),  Micah,  Jeremiah.  But  it  was  not  till  the 
nation  was  lost  that  the  people  really  took  the  proph- 
etic teachings  to  heart.  Thus  the  influence  of  the 
Prophets  was  less  while  they  lived  than  after  they  had 
passed  away.  No  longer  concerned  with  royal  mag*- 
nificence  and  ambitions  for  empire,  there  was  more 
inclination  to  study  the  immortal  words  of  these  in- 
spired men. 

Exile  Not  Prison 
But  Nursery 

In  this  way  the  Exile  was  a  kind  of  school.  Its  priva- 
tions became  a  discipline  of  the  mind  and  heart.  Some 
prophets  appeared  during  this  very  period  —  Ezekiel 
and  another  Isaiah  (40-66),  voicing  the  inspiring  mes- 
sage that  if  Israel  but  turned  to  God  and  led  worthy 
lives,  no  matter  what  the  sins  of  their  ancestors,  a  glo- 
rious future  awaited  them. 

19 


20  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

The  seed  took  root.  Whatever  they  may  have  been 
when  they  entered  Babylon,  when  they  emerged  from 
it,  after  half  a  century  of  humiliation,  suffering  and 
reflection,  they  were  a  band  of  puritans.  No  longer 
were  they  led  astray  by  idolatrous  nations.  Their 
realization  that  God  was  one  and  w'holly  spirit  became 
henceforth  with  Israel  almost  a  passion. 

The  Bible 

Once  more  restored  to  their  old  Palestinian  home, 
they  carefully  gathered  up  the  written  words  of  their 
sages  together  with  all  records  of  the  ancient  He- 
brews. These  writings  were  carefully  sifted  and  edited 
and  formed  a  sacred  literature — The  Bible. 

It  consisted  of  three  parts.  First,  The  Law:  The 
five  books  of  Moses,  beginning  with  the  world's  crea- 
tion and  telling  of  the  doings  of  the  Patriarchs,  of 
Moses  and  his  teachings.  Second:  The  Prophets,  (a) 
The  Former  Prophets:  containing  the  history  of  their 
times  from  the  conquest  of  Canaan  by  Joshua  down 
to  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian  captivities  and  demon- 
strating the  influence  of  the  prophets,  (b)  The  Latter 
Prophets :  consisting  of  their  immortal  addresses. 
Third :  The  Holy  Writings ;  a  miscellaneous  collection 
of  sacred  songs  and  prayers,  or  proverbial  wisdom,  to- 
gether with  the  narrative  of  Israel's  later  days,  such 
as  the  story  of  Esther  in  the  Persian  period. 

A  later  collection  of  Jewish  writings  was  made  in 
the  course  of  time,  known  as  the  Apocrypha.  This 
term  implies  that  its  books  had  not  the  same  religious 
authority  as  the  Bible  itself. 

Scribes  and  Rabbis 

Apart  from  two  or  three  who  preached  in  post-exilic 


AFTER  THE  EXILE  21 

days — the  era  of  the  prophets  had  passed.  The  men 
who  now  looked  after  the  religious  welfare  of  the 
Jews  (in  addition  to  the  priests)  were  known  as  the 
Scribes,  of  whom  Ezra  was  first  and  greatest ;  later 
came  the  Rabbis,  meaning  teachers.  Their  service  was 
to  expound  the  Law  as  found  in  the  Bible  and  to  derive 
new  laws  from  it  to  meet  later  needs.  They  were  zeal- 
ous ever  to  find  new  precepts  (mitsvath)  as  added 
means  of  serving  God. 

The  head  of  the  Jewish  community  was  the  High 
Priest.  He  not  only  superintended  the  Temple  wor- 
ship but  directed  much  of  their  daily  affairs.  So  it 
was  an  office  of  great  power,  eagerly  sought  and  some- 
times abused. 

But  the  Temple  of  sacrifice  was  not  the  only  place 
where  the  people  satisfied  their  religious  needs.  There 
had  grown  up  during  the  Exile  and  after,  houses  of 
assembly  for  prayer  —  synagogues.  Centuries  later, 
when  the  Temple  was  destroyed,  they  completely  took 
its  place. 

Under  Greek  Rule 

Such  was  Jewish  life  for  many  centuries  under  dif- 
ferent rulers.  As  Persia  had  overthrown  Babylon,  it 
in  turn  was  defeated  by  Greece  in  332  B.  c.  E.,  when  the 
armies  of  Alexander  the  Great  reached  the  East.  But 
the  status  of  the  Jews  remained  unchanged ;  they  were 
still  granted  a  species  of  local  self-government.  Nor 
was  their  religious  liberty  interfered  with. 

The  Jews  did  not  limit  their  settlement  to  Palestine 
itself.  Many  had  remained  in  Babylon.  Some  emi- 
grated to  the  northern  coast  of  Africa ;  some  went  to 
Arabia ;  some  to  Rome.  These  lands  outside  of  Judea, 


22  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

in  which  some  made  thvir  homes,  were  known  as  The 
Diaspora. 

The  Jews  learnt  something  from  each  people  among 
whom  they  lived:  From  the  Babylonians  they  learned 
stories  of  the  world's  beginnings  and  a  knowledge  of 
the  stars.  Their  idea  of  the  future  life  was  deepened 
through  their  contact  with  the  Persians. 

But  they  learnt  most  from  the  Greeks.  The  He- 
brews and  the  Greeks  were  the  two  people  of  antiquity 
to  whom  the  world  is  most  indebted.  The  Greek  con- 
tribution was  in  the  domain  of  scientific  research  and 
of  art,  the  Jewish  in  that  of  religion  and  morals.  The 
Bible  was  translated  into  Greek  (The  Septuagint). 
From  it,  the  Greeks  obtained  loftier  ideas  of  the  Deity, 
of  the  sanctity  of  life  and  of  human  responsibility. 
Many  became  proselytes  to  the  Jewish  fold.  The  Jews 
in  turn  studied  the  philosophies  of  Plato  and  Aristotle, 
of  Pythagoras  and  Democritus.  Thus  they  obtained  a 
broad  survey  of  the  universe,  of  the  forces  of  nature 
and  the  origin  of  things. 

Hanuka 

The  Greek  Empire  broke  up  into  four  different  pow- 
ers, Judea  finally  becoming  part  of  one  of  them, 
Greco-Syria.  All  went  well  for  many  years.  But  a 
time  arrived  when  one  of  its  rulers,  Antiochus  Epiph- 
anes,  departing  from  the  toleration  that  had  previously 
prevailed,  sought  to  destroy  the  Jewish  Faith,  desiring 
to  reduce  all  his  subjects  to  one  pagan  level.  •; ... 

This  was  the  first  religious  persecution  in  history. 
Its  effect  was  the  reverse  of  that  intended.  Many  had 
been  indifferent  to  the  Mosaic  Law,  but  now  that  its 
observance  was  forbidden,  their  dormant  religiousness 


AFTER  THE  EXILE  23 

burst  into  flame.  How  often  this  happens  in  life. 
While  a  few  worldlings  yielded  to  the  pagan  lure,  the 
multitude,  women  as  well  as  men,  were  ready  to  be- 
c6me  martyrs  to  the  Jewish  cause. 

One  of  our  great  heroes  now  appears  upon  the  scene 
-Judas  Maccabeus.  The  word  Maccabee  means 
hammer  and  tells  the  story.  He  and  his  brave  brothers 
of  the  Hasmonean  family  struck  daring  blows  at  the 
foe.  For  the  Jew  had  now  to  fight  for  his  religion. 
Their  numbers  were  small :  the  Syrian  hosts  vast.  But 
it  was  a  conflict  of  faith  against  numbers.  On  the 
battlefields  of  Emmaus  and  Beth-Horon  was  demon- 
strated the  power  of  ideals  over  battalions. 

The  triumphant  Maccabees  re-dedicated  the  defiled 
Temple.  Hence  the  name  of  the  Festival  to  commem- 
orate the  victory — Hanuka  meaning  dedication.  But 
it  was  more  than  a  reconsecration  of  the  Jewish  sanc- 
tuary. It  was  a  reconsecration  of  the  Jewish  spirit, 
Israel  dedicated  with  new  fervor  to  their  mission  to 
bring,  by  the  example  of  their  lives,  a  knowledge  of 
the  just  God  and  His  righteous  law  to  mankind. 

This  victory  occurred  165  B.  c.  E.  It  was  a  cardinal 
event  not  only  for  Israel,  but  for  the  world.  For  if 
Judaism  had  succumbed,  Christianity  and  Mohamme- 
danism that  later  sprung  from  it,  would  not  have  ap- 
peared .and  the  whole  trend  of  human  history  would 
have  been  changed. 

Verily  here  if  anywhere  do  we  discern  providence 
in  history. 

We  have  seen  that  this  was  wholly  a  defensive 
war- — for  liberty  of  conscience.  But  that  end  attained, 
the  enemy  was  still  threatening  at  the  gate.  So  that 
war  did  not  end  till  the  Jews  had  completely  thrown 


24  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

off  the  foreign  yoke  and  became  an  independent  nation 
again  in  the  year  142  B.  c.  E.,  after  having  been  a  sub- 
ject people  for  four  and  a  half  centuries. 

Judea  remained  an  independent  nation  under  the 
Hasmonean  House  for  seventy-nine  years.  They  had 
their  own  kings,  their  own  coinage,  a  House  of  Leg- 
islature known  as  the  Sanhedrin ;  they  also  extended 
their  boundaries. 

Sadducees  and 
Pharisees 

As  in  all  states,  there  were  two  parties.  But  here, 
as  in  ancient  times  generally,  Religion  and  State  were 
combined:  the  government  regulated  the  affairs  of 
both.  Indeed  it  was  hard  to  draw  the  line  between 
them. 

The  smaller  party  were  styled  Sadducees.  The  word 
is  derived  from  Zadoc,  the  chief  priest  in  king  Solo- 
mon's time ;  for  the  Sadducees  were  composed  for  the 
most  part  of  the  priestly  aristocracy.  They  were  very 
rational  in  their  beliefs  and  somewhat  ambitious  in 
their  politics,  seeking  alliances  with  great  nations. 
They  rigorously  obeyed  the  Mosaic  Law,  but  refused 
allegiance  to  later  rabbinic  law. 

The  second  party,  the  Pharisees,  on  the  other  hand 
were  enthusiastic  in  the  fulfilment  of  these  later  tra- 
ditional precepts.  They  were  ever  expounding  the 
Bible  law  in  order  to  derive  new  laws  from  it.  This  is 
the  meaning  of  their  name — expounders.  They  com- 
posed the  bulk  of  the  people.  They  objected  to 
the  priesthood  claiming  the  exclusive  privilege  of  ful- 
tiling  certain  religious  rites,  demanding  it  for  all. 
Hence  they  were  more  democratic.  Nor  did  they  bo- 


AFTER  THE  EXILE  25 

lieve  in  foreign  alliances.  For  their  faith  in  God  was 
so  deep  that  they  deemed  reliance  on  Him  all-sufficient 
for  their  national  welfare. 

The  term  Pharisee  is  sometimes  misused  to  mean 
pious  hypocrite.  This  is  a  gross  slander.  It  arose 
from  their  being  so  very  scrupulous  in  the  observance 
of  the  minutest  precepts. 

This  age  produced  some  great  religious  teachers.  In 
this  brief  outline  there  is  space  to  mention  but  few. 
Simon  the  Just,  the  noblest  of  all  the  High  Priests. 
Hillel  the  most  renowned  of  a  notable  group  of  ex- 
pounders of  the  Law ;  he  was  also  noted  for  his  liber- 
ality and  his  gentleness.  Philo,  a  philosopher  who  in- 
fused some  of  the  ideas  of  the  Greek  Plattf  into  the 
Jewish  conception  of  God. 

Rome 

We  have  witnessed  the  successive  rise  and  fall  of 
Babylonia,  Persia,  Greece.  The  next  great  power  to 
appear  on  the  horizon  was  Rome,  destined  to  be  the 
most  powerful  of  them  all  and  the  most  lasting.  The 
story  of  its  spread  across  Europe,  from  Britain  in  the 
extreme  North-west  to  Carthage  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Mediterranean,  is  beyond  the  province  of  this 
story.  We  are  concerned  with  Rome's  advance  into 
Asia ;  for  in  63  B.  c.  E.  Pompey,  one  of  its  great  gener- 
als, appeared  before  the  walls  of  Jerusalem. 

This  meant  the  end  of  the  independence  of  Judea. 
It  did  not  yield  without  a  struggle.  After  many  bloody 
conflicts,  Herod  obtained  the  Jewish  throne,  but  only 
as  a  Roman  vassal.  He  was  an  Idumean ;  but  Idumea 
had  been  conquered  by  a  Jewish  king  and  had  accepted 
Judaism  in  a  formal  way.  But  the  rule  of  Herod  and 


*6  STOKV  01'   7V//:  JEW 

his  House  was.  so  oppressive,  that  the  Jews  preferred 
being  governed  by  Rome  direct.  This  made  Judea  a 
Roman  province. 

The  Jews  did  not  at  once  realize  what  they  had 
chosen.  Rome  sent  out .  Procurators  to  govern  the 
:  province.  These  men,  with  a  few  exceptions,  wantonly 
wounded  the  religious  sensibilities  of  Israel.  Further- 
more, they  were  rapacious,  secretly  and  some  openly 
robbing  the  people. 

Jesus  of 
Nazareth 

The  most:  notorious  though  not  the  worst,  was  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  in  whose  reign  appeared  Jesus  (Joshua) 
of  Nazareth.  Many  hailed  him  as  the  Messiah,  a  He- 
brew word  meaning  "anointed" — king.  For  the  op- 
pressed Jews  were  ever  looking  for  a  deliverer  to 
restore  the  royal  House  of  David.  This  was  regarded 
by  Rome  as  treason  and  Jesus  was  put  to  death  by  the 
regular  Roman  method  of  execution — crucifixion.  .  He 
was  not  the  only  one  with  that  exalted  claim  or  who 
met  that  tragic  fate ;  but  he  was  the  most  famous.  He 
had  many  followers ;  these  were  first  a  Jewish  sect  but 
later  formed  a  separate  religion.  The  Greek  of  Mes- 
siah is  christos,  so,  believing  that  Jesus  was  the  Mes- 
siah, his  followers  were  called  Christians. 

Judea's  Downfall 

No  longer  able  to  bear  the  indignities  and  outrages 
committed  by  these  Procurators,  long-suffering  Israel 
at  last  rebelled.  For  this  tiny  group  to  throw  down 
the  gauntlet  to  "the  mistress  of  the  world"  was  fool- 


AFTER  THE  EXILE  27 

hardy — but  magnificent.  Nor  was  it  easy  to  crush  this 
valiant  people.  Rome  had  to  despatch  its  greatest 
general — Vespasian.  For  two  years  the  people  held 
out,  resisting  battering  rams  without  and  starvation 
within. 

The  detailed  account  of  the  campaign  is  given  by 
Josephus,  one  of  the  Jewish  generals.  Conquering  the 
northern  section  first  the  Roman  legions  closed  round 
the  beloved  capital,  Jerusalem.  In  the  year  70  A.  c.  E. 
it  fell.  On  that  fatal  date,  ninth  of  Ab,  the  Temple 
was  reduced  to  ashes. 

Sixty-two  years  later  this  undaunted  people  again 
faced  the  Roman  legions  in  a  last  effort  to  regain  their 
independence.  They  were  championed  by  Rabbi  Akiba 
and  led  by  Bar  Cochba.  But  they  met  with  a  still  more 
crushing  defeat.  Thus  ended  the  Jewish  nationality. 
The  Jewish  dispersion  throughout  the  world  had 
begun. 


Part   III 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  THROUGH  THE  WORLD 

The  Jewish 
Academies 

Jochanan  ben  Zakkai,  convinced  of  the  error  of  wag- 
ing hopeless  war  against  Rome,  had  escaped  from 
Jerusalem.  The  Roman  General  Vespasian  wished  to 
reward  him  for  counselling  peace.  Ben  Zakkai  would 
accept  nothing  for  himself  but  craved  a  boon  for  his 
people,  viz,  that  he  be  permitted  to  establish  an  Acad- 
emy at  Jamnia  in  Palestine.  The  request  was  granted, 
perhaps  contemptuously,  at  its  apparent  insignificance  ; 
yet,  making  it  a  rallying  place  not  only  for  the  promo- 
tion of  Jewish  learning  but  also  as  a  center  of  Jewish 
authority — through  it,  the  perpetuity  of  Judaism  was 
assured. 

We  have  already  recorded  a  change  of  the  Jewish 
focus  of  interest  from  Throne  to  Temple.  The  change 
now  was  from  an  Altar  to  a  School.  Prayer  in  the 
Synagogue  replaced  sacrifice  in  the  Temple.  Jewish 
life  now  centered  around  the  Law  ;  Israel  became  the 
"People  of  the  Book." 

The  Talmud 

The  Law  was  almost  a  synonym  for  Judaism.  It 
included  more  than  the  precepts  contained  in  the  Bible. 
For  in  the  process  of  years,  a  second  group  of  laws 
were  derived  from  it,  known  as  the  "Mishna"  or. Sec- 
ond Law.  In  course  of  time  the  commentaries  on  these 

29 


30  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

laws  led  to  the  evolving  of  yet  further  regulations 
known  as  "Gemara" — completion.  Mishna  and  Gemara 
together  were  known  as  the  Talmud.  The  development 
of  these  Talmudic  laws  covers  centuries,  for  Jamnia 
was  one  of  many  Academies  of  rabbinic  discussion, 
not  only  in  Palestine  but  also  in  Babylonia,  where  the 
bulk  of  the  Jews  gradually  settled. 

The  Talmud  comprised  first  the  legal  discussions 
styled  Halacha.  But  it  also  included  many  glimpses  of 
Jewish  life  and  surroundings  in  the  early  centuries  of 
the  Christian  Era ;  reflections  and  views  on  much  that 
entered  into  human  experience.  This  miscellaneous 
material  is  known  as  Agada,  which  we  may  translate 
as  narrative.  Here  are  some  moral  sayings  scattered 
through  its  pages : 

"Prayer  without  devotion  is  body  without  breath." 
"The  best  preacher  is  the  heart,  the  best  teacher 

time,  the  best  book   the   world,   the  best   friend 

God." 
"Who  is  best  taught?    He  who  has  learnt  from  his 

mother." 
"Who  acquires  knowledge  without  imparting  it  is 

like  a  myrtle  in  the  desert." 
"Bestow  most  care  on  the  children  of  the  poor,  for 

from  them  will  go  forth  the  Law." 
"Support  the  aged  without  reference  to  religion,  and 

the  learned  without  reference  to  age." 
"All  blessing  in  the  household  comes  through  the 

wife ;  therefore  should  her  husband  honor  her." 
"Be   careful   not  to   cause   woman   to   cry,   for  G.od 

counts  her  tears." 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  31 

"(  ulture  in  woman  is  better  than  gold." 

"He  who  lives  by  the  work  of  his  hands  enjoys  life." 

"Strip  a  carcass  in  the  street  and  take  pay  for  it  and 
say  not  'I  am  a  priest  or  a  great  man  and  this 
work  is  beneath  me.'  " 

"Position  cannot  honor  the  man ;  the  man  must 
honor  the  position." 

"Say  not,  'I  will  do  nothing/  because  thou  canst  not 

do  everything." 

"One  good  deed  leads  to  another." 
"He  who  makes  another  perform  a  good  deed,  is 

greater  than  the  doer." 
"Truth  is  the  seal  of  God." 

"Judge  not  your  neighbor  till  you  stand  in  his  place." 
"Whoever   showeth   compassion   is  as   the   seed   of 

Abraham." 

» 

"The  truly  beneficent  seek  out  the  poor." 
"Greatness  flees  from  him  who  seeks  it,  and  seeks 

him  who  flees  it." 
"Commit  a  sin  twice  and  you  will  think  it  sin  no 

more." 
"Evil  passion  is  at  first  like  a  cobweb,  and  at  last 

like  a  rope." 

"Sinful  thoughts  are  worse  than  sin." 
"He  who  can  testify  in  his  neighbor's  behalf  and 

does  not,  is  a  transgressor." 
"It  is  sinful  to  hate,  but  noble  to  forgive." 
"There  is  no  repentance  without  reparation." 
"When  a  man  has  turned  from  sin,  reproach  him  no 

more." 


32  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

"This  world  is  the  vestibule ;  the  world  to  come  the 
palace." 

"He  who  makes  the  sorrowful  rejoice  will  partake 
of  life  everlasting." 

"The  poor  who  owe  nought  are  rich ;  the  old  with- 
out ailment  are  young;  the  learned  without  relig- 
ion are  foolish." 

The  life  of  Israel  was  not  so  very  different  under 
Roman  rule  from  what  it  had  been  in  Temple  days. 
The  presiding  head  was  known  as  Nasi,  Prince,  a  man 
learned  in  the  Law.  Babylonia  under  Persian  rule  in- 
cluded a  vast  area  east  of  the  Euphrates  and  became 
a  second  land  of  Israel.  The  Jewish  chief  was  called 
Resh  Galutha  meaning  Head  of  the  Exile;  for  the  Jews 
regarded  themselves  as  living  in  exile  when  not  in  the 
Holy  Land, 

The  Middle  Ages 

In  antiquity  the  story  of  Israel  occurred  chiefly  in 
Asia.  Europe  is  the  setting  for  its  history  in  the  Mid- 
dle Ages.  That  epoch  we  are  now  approaching.  The 
new1  Christian  cult  that  had  been  steadily  spreading 
among  the  Romans  was  finally  adopted  by  the  Em- 
peror Constantine.  This  made  it  the  official  creed  for 
half  the  civilized  world.  This  gave  it  more  power 
which,  alas,  was  often  used  against  the  house  of  Israel. 
Persecution  of  the  Jew  continued  bn  and  off  for  fifteen 
centuries  and  made  their  history  so  largely  a  tragic 
story. 

The  vast  Roman  Empire  began  to  split  up.  First  it 
fell  into  two  parts  in  the  year  395,  the  Western  half 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  33 

with  its  center  in  the  city  of  Rome,  the  Eastern  half 
with  its  center  in  the  city  of  Constantinople.  New 
races  drifted  into  Europe — Huns,  Goths  and  Vandals, 
and  completed  the  break  up  of  the  Western  Roman 
Empire  in  the  year  476.  The  most  powerful  of  these 
peoples  now  settling  Europe  were  the  Franks.  Among 
these  a  great  man  appeared  about  the  year  800,  known 
as  Charlemagne,  who  brought  some  sort  of  order  into 
this  disturbed  condition.  Still  later  the  leading  nations 
of  Europe  came  to  be  formed  from  the  Frankish  Em- 
pire that  he  founded. 

The  Wandering 
Jew 

Meanwhile,  the  Jews  wandered  westward,  settling 
in  Italy,  in  Gaul  (France)  in  German  States  and  in 
Spain.  A  minority  without  power,  their  life  was  al- 
ways one  of  sufferance  and  often  one  of  peril.  Each 
land  made  laws  that  restricted  them  in  many  ways, 
but  chiefly  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion.  Though 
their  rights  were  few  their  taxes  Were  many.  They 
became  traders  by  necessity  rather  than  by  choice, 
most  walks  of  life — public  service,  the  army,  the  pro- 
fessions, being  closed  to  them.  In  the  long  centuries 
of  oppression  to  follow,  they  were  sustained  by  their 
deep  faith  in  the  providence  of  God.  When  the  hand 
of  the  world  was  against  them,  they  found  consolation 
in  the  study  of  the  Law. 

This  iron  age  of  repression  for  Israel  was  to  become 
a  golden  era  of  toleration  and  liberty — in  Spain.  To 
explain  this  change  of  environment,  we  must  turn 
again  to  the  East. 


34  STORY  01'  THE  JEW 

Islam 

A  new  religion  had  arisen  in  Arabia,  named  after  its 
founder — Mohammedanism.  Mohammed  learned  much 
from  the  Jews,  particularly  the  idea  of  one  God 
("Allah").  He  also  adopted  many  Jewish  observances, 
and  traced  the  origin  of  his  people  to  Abraham.  Like 
the  Christians,  he  too  was  disappointed  that  the  Jews 
did  not  embrace  his  faith,  since  it  was  so  close  to  their 
own.  But  otherwise  the  "Crescent"  (to  name  the  faith 
after  its  emblem)  was  far  more  liberal  than  the 
"Cross."  Mohammed  founded  not  only  a  religion,  but 
a  State.  When  its  conquering  armies  swept  through 
Asia,  the  Jews  in  Babylonia  by  no  means  suffered  from 
the  change  of  its  rule  from  Parsee  to  Moslem.  Rather 
otherwise,  for  the  Resh  Galutha  was  given  fuller 
power  and  the  Jews  larger  liberty  of  self-government. 
Great  Jewish  Academies  flourished  under  its  benig- 
nant sway. 

With  its  cry  "the  Koran  or  the  Sword"  the  Moham- 
medans began  to  carry  their  conquering  arms  west- 
ward, moving  along  the  north  shores  of  Africa  from 
Egypt  to  Morocco.  They  crossed  the  Straits  of 
Gibraltar  and  entered  Spain.  By  the  suffering  Jews 
they  were  hailed  as  deliverers,  for  their  outlook  was 
now  changed  from  darkness  to  light. 

A  Golden  Era 
In  Spain 

The  Moors — as  the  Moslems  settled  in  the  Spanish 
Peninsula  were  called — loved  learning.  So,  while  the 
rest  of  Europe  was  plunged  in  ignorance,  schools,  were 
established  in  the  Peninsula ;  science  and  literature — 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  35 

particularly  poetry,  were  cultivated.  Libraries  were 
founded.  This  broad  culture  went  hand  in  hand  with 
well  established  government  and  the  promotion  of 
commerce. 

The  Jews,  lovers  of  scholarship,  found  these  liberal 
and  enlightened  Arabians,  congenial  neighbors.  For 
they  were  more  than  tolerated,  they  were  esteemed 
and  given  positions  of  trust  such  as  Viziers  (Secretary 
of  State)  and  ministers  of  finance.  One  of  these  Jew- 
ish statesmen  was  Chasdai  Ibn  Shaprut,  scholar,  lin- 
guist, physician.  While  serving  the  state  he  also 
served  his  own  people  and  encouraged  Jewish  scholars 
to  come  from  the  Babylonian  Academies  to  found 
similar  schools  in  Cordova  for  religious  and  secular 
training.  Another  was  Samuel  Ibn  Nagdela,  Vizier  of 
Granada.  Among  his  own  people  he  was  known  as 
"Nagid" — Prince.  He  promoted  Jewish  scholarship 
and  contributed  toward  it  himself. 

Jewish 
Scholarship 

It  is  natural  that  in  such  secure  surroundings  the 
Jew,  always  keenly  intellectual,  should  put  forth  his 
best  in  this  Spanish  era.  Those  several  centuries  have 
left  us  an  imperishable  literary  legacy  of  philosophy, 
poetry  and  law. 

To  mention  a  few  of  these  Spanish  Jewish  scholars: 

Solomon  Ibn  Gabirol,  born  in  Malaga  in  1021,  was 
both  poet  and  philosopher.  Some  of  his  poems  are 
used  in  the  divine  service  on  the  Day  of  Atonement. 
His  "Fountain  of  Life,"  in  Latin  translation,  greatly 
influenced.  Christian  philosophers.  We  may  add  here 


36  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

that  the  Jews,  so  often  spoken  of  as  "middle  men"  in 
the  realm  of  industry,  were  also  "middle  men"  in  the 
realm  of  letters ;  for  as  linguists  and  translators,  they 
brought  the  learning  of  the  Arabs  to  the  Christians. 

Teachers 
of  Morals 

Bachya  was  a  great  moral  philosopher.  Here  are 
some  quotations  from  his  "Duties  of  the  Heart": 

"No  act  of  any  kind  is  done  completely,  unless  the 
soul  delights  in  doing  it.  So  with  sinful  conduct,  it  is 
not  the  act  itself  but  the  sinful  intention  by  which  one 
incurs  guilt." 

"The  truly  humble  man  will  mourn  for  all  the  mis- 
takes made  by  other  men,  and  not  triumph  or  rejoice 
over  them." 

"To  serve  God  we  must  trust  God.  There  should  be 
no  thought  or  intention  in  all  one  does,  except  to  do  it 
for  the  sake  of  God  alone,  with  no  thought  of  human 
praise  or  the  fear  of  man,  or  of  advantage,  or  of  the 
removal  of  dangers  in  this  world  or  in  a  future  state." 

We  may  here  append  teachings  of  other  Jewish 
moralists  of  the  Middle  Ages : 

"Be  not  disputatious  and  quarrelsome  with  people, 
whatever  be  their  faith.  Be  honorable  in  thy  business 
dealings,  do  not  say  that  such  and  such  a  price  has 
been  offered  for  thy  wares  when  the  thing  is  not  true." 

"Many  things  are  permitted  by  the  law,  the  doing 
of  which  may  lay  upon  a  man  the  rendering  of  a  heavy 
account  some  day." 

"If  thou  seest  a  strange  man  of  another  faith  about 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  37 

to  commit  a  sin,  prevent  its  coming  to  pass,  if  it  be  in 
thy  power." 

"Let  man  in  his  solitary  hours  feel  the  same  repug- 
nant shame  of  evil  in  the  sight  of  God,  as  he  would  feel 
in  committing  wrong  in  the  sight  of  men." 

"If  a  rich  man  and  a  poor  man  be  sick,  and  thou 
seest  all  the  world  going  to  see  the  rich  man,  go  thou 
to  the  poor  one,  even  though  he  be  ignorant  and  un- 
lettered." 

Poets  and 
Savants 

Jehuda  Halevi  was  perhaps  the  most  popular  of  this 
Spanish  literary  group.  His  poems,  many  breathing 
fervent  love  of  Zion,  have  captivated  the  Jewish  imag- 
ination. The  story  of  the  Chazars  adopting  Judaism 
from  among  the  current  creeds  was  chosen  by  Halevi 
as  an  opportunity  to  compare  advantageously  the  prin- 
ciples of  Judaism,  with  those  of  the  Church,  the 
Mosque  and  the  philosophic  schools.  His  most  famous 
saying  was  "Israel  among  the  nations  is  as  the  heart 
among  the  limbs." 

Not  all  of  Spain  was  Moslem.  Castile,  Aragon,  Na- 
varre were  gradually  conquered  by  the  Christians. 
These  at  first  followed  the  Mohammedan  example  of 
tolerant  treatment  of  the  Jews  and  even  entrusted 
them  with  some  posts  of  honor.  Among  many  great 
Jewish  minds  in  Christian  Spain  we  may  mention  Ben- 
jamin of  Tudela,  explorer  who  brought  back  news  of 
his  brethren  in  distant  lands.  Ibn  Daud,  philosopher 
and  historian.  Abraham  Ibn  Ezra,  the  daring  biblical 
critic  who  taught  that  God  is  known  to  us  through 
His  works;  that  only  the  spirit  of  the  Bible  is  inspired. 


38  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

not  its  language ;  and  that  revelation  comes  to  us  .from 
Nature  and  the  intuitions  of  the  heart  as  well  as  from 
Scripture.  . 

We  might  here  mention  Rashi  who  lived  in  France 
and  was  the  greatest  expounder  of  the  Bible  and  the 
Talmud.  France  also  produced,  the  Kimchis  great 
grammarians  and  the  Tibbons,  great  .translators. 

Maimonides 

The  most  recognized  Jewish  scholar  of  medieval 
times  was  Maimonides.  Born  in  Cordova  in  1135,  be- 
cause of  a  passing  persecution  he  spent  most  of  his 
life  in  Egypt.  Like  many  Jewish  scholars  of  that  and 
an  earlier  day,  he  was  also  a  physician.  Jews  stood 
at  the  forefront  in  medicine  in  the  middle  ages.  Their 
method  of  slaughtering  animals  for  food  (Shechita) 
gave  them  a  knowledge  of  anatomy  and  physiology. 
But  of  all  Jewish  doctors,  Maimonides  was  the 
greatest. 

He  wrote  a  commentary  on  the  Mishna  in  which 
occurs  the  famous  Thirteen  Articles  of  the  Jewish 
creed.  (Albo  who  flourished  250  years  after,  reduced" 
them  to  three — God,  Revelation  and  Retribution).  The 
next  great  work  of  Maimonides  Was  a'  complete  digest 
of  all  Jewish  laws  of  the  Talmud,  and  of  the  later 
rabbis,  classified  as  a  code.  Many  summaries  of  Jew- 
ish law  appeared  after  his  day,  the  most  famous  being 
the  Schulchan  Aruch  of  the  16th  Century. 

Maimonides'  most  lasting  achievement  was  a  work 
known  as  "The  Guide  to  the  Perplexed."  It  was  a 
rational  treatment  of  th.6  fundamental  beliefs  of  relig-- 
ion,  an  attempt  to  answer  those  profound  questions 
about  God  and  life  and  the  world  that  perplexed  men 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  39 

then  and  perplex  men  now.  Although  opposed  at  the 
time  by  the  timid,  this  work  is  regarded  as  the  bul- 
wark of  conservatism  today. 

Some  of  his  sayings : 

"We  do  not  remove  the  wonder  of  creation,  by 
pushing  it  back  to  the  creation  of  an  atom." 

"Prayers  should  be  simple  and  brief." 

"We  hear  too  much  of  unions  in  Israel,  let  us  hear 
more  of  union."  . 

Of  Christianity  he  said,  "It  has  done  more  to  spread 
abroad  the  Bible  than  Judaism  itself ;  wherever  it  car- 
ried trade  it  carried  the  Bible,  doing  Jewish  work  with 
non-Jewish  hands." 

"Serve  God  with  love  ;  fear  only  preventeth  sin,  but 
love  stimulateth  to  do  good." 

"Accustom  yourself  to  good  morals ;  for  the  nature 
of  man  dependeth  upon  habit,  and  habit  taketh  root  in 
nature." 

"Let  truth  by  which  you  may  apparently  lose,  be 
more  acceptable  unto  you  than  falsehood  and  injustice 
by  which  you  may  apparently  profit." 

"Keep  firm  to  your  word ;  let  not  document,  witness 
or  actual  possession  be  stronger  in  your  sight  than  a 
verbal  promise." 

As  against  this  rational  spirit  of  Maimonides,  there 
grew  up  a  mystical  movement  known  as  "Cabala." 
This  term  originally  meant  the  transmission  of  Jewish 
law  from  Moses,  the  prophets  and  the  sages,  through 
each  successive  generation.  But  this  school  of  mystics 
gave  to  it  a  meaning  of  something  hidden  and  they 
endeavored  to  read  into  the  Scriptures  strange  and 


40  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

fantastic  interpretation.  Mysticism  in  general  might 
be  expressed  as  the  idea  of  reaching  God  through  the 
emotions  rather  than  through  the  reason,  and  is  often 
an  indication  of  deep  and  sincere  religious  feeling. 
Some  of  our  most  beautiful  prayers  have  come  from 
the  Cabalists.  But  at  times  Cabalism  has  degenerated 
into  superstition — beliefs  in  charms  and  amulets,  occa- 
sionally leading  to  heresy. 

Persecution 

Outside  of  Spain  the  lot  of  the  Jew  was  hard  and 
precarious.  The  Crusade  wars  of  the  Christians  in  the 
12th  and  13th  centuries  to  wrest  the  tomb  of  the  "Sav- 
iour" from  the  Turk,  were  used  by  the  fanatics  for 
Jewish  persecution  in  France  and  Germany. 

In  every  land  the  Israelites  were  accused  of  slaying 
Christians  to  use  their  blood  for  Passover  bread.  This 
slander  was  ever  a  pretext  for  despoiling  and  banish- 
ing them.  Although  some  liberal  Popes  have  issued 
Bulls  exposing  ritual  murder  slanders,  still  they  have 
not  died  out  even  to  this  day. 

One  of  the  Church  Councils  in  1215  decided  that  all 
Jews  must  wear  a  yellow  badge,  so  that  every  passer- 
by could  distinguish  them.  This  naturally  singled  them 
out  for  the  scorn  of  the  populace.  In  moments  of 
frenzy  they  were  driven  through  the  streets  with  the 
cry  of  "Hep,  Hep"  (Hierosolyma  est  perdita — Jerusa- 
lem is  lost)  behind  them. 

When  the  terrible  Black  Plague  swept  through 
Europe  in  1349,  the  Jews,  suffering  less  because  of 
their  abstemious  habits,  and  family  devotion,  were  ac- 
cused of  causing  the  plague  by  poisoning  the  walls, 
and  many  were  consequently  massacred. 


ISRAEL  SCATTERED  41 

Occasionally  the  Jews  summoned  Synods  of  their 
leading  rabbis  which  passed  laws  for  their  best  protec- 
tion. The  first  of  these  called  by  Rabenu  Gershom 
about  the  year  1000,  decided  that  monogamy  should 
be  the  Jewish  marriage  rule. 

As  the  Christians  advanced  through  Spain  and  Por- 
tugal, gradually  driving  out  the  Moslem,  toleration  of 
the  Jew  rapidly  declined.  Alphonso  of  Castile,  follow- 
ing the  example  of  kings  of  other  lands,  drew  up  a 
code  of  restrictive  laws  and  imposed  special  Jewish 
taxes.  In  Aragon,  Jews  were  compelled  to  take  part 
in  a  public  "Disputation"  to  defend  Jewish  against 
Christian  doctrines.  It  was  perilous  if  they  failed  and 
still  more  perilous  if  they  succeeded.  Criminal  juris- 
diction over  their  own  people  was  later  taken  from 
them. 

The  climax  was  reached  in  1391  when  in  a  passion 
of  fanatic  frenzy  a  massacre  of  Jews  began.  Thou- 
sands saved  themselves  by  accepting  Christianity.  But 
they  remained  Jews  in  secret.  Those  who  thus  lived 
a  double  life  were  called  "Maranos."  To  test  their 
sincerity  and  expose  heretics  in  general,  a  terrible 
institution  was  organized  in  1481  known  as  the  "In- 
quisition." Thousands  of  our  brethren  were  tortured 
in  its  subterranean  chambers  and  burned  in  the  public 
market  places,  their  property  confiscated  by  the 
Crown.  Their  martyrdom  in  loyalty  to  the  Jewish 
faith  forms  one  of  the  saddest,  yet  one  of  the  most 
glorious  chapters  in  our  annals. 

Banishment 

The  final  act  of  the  tragedy  came  in  1492  when  Fer- 
dinand and  Isabella  of  the  united  kingdoms  of  Castile 


42  .STOAT  (;/;  7V//;  y/:'/F 

and  Aragon  banished  the  Jews  from  Spain  in  which 
they  had  lived  for  fifteen  centuries.  Abarbancl,  a  pub- 
lic spirited  Jewish  scholar,  tried  in  vain  to  induce  the 
monarch s  to  revoke  the  cruel  decree. 

But  that  same  year  marked  the  discovery  of  Amer- 
ica by "Coluhtbus.  aided,  we  may  add,  by  some  Jewish 
nautical  instruments  and  financed  by  Jewish  motley. 
Thus,  as 'one  door  closed  against  them  another  was 
about  to  open.  Verily,  those  who  "lived  in  darkness 
were  to  see  a  great  light." 


Part    IV 


EMANCIPATION 

The  Renaissance  and 
The  Reformation 

It  is  hard  to  draw  a  line  at  just  where  the  Dark 
Ages  ceased  and  the  era  of  modern  enlightenment 
began.  Nor  did  the  change  occur  in  all  lands  at  the 
same  time.  We  might  trace  its  beginning  from  the 
period  called  the  Renaissance — a  new  birth  of  science 
and  of  letters,  when  the  discouragement  placed  on 
independent  thought  and  research  began  slowly  to 
disappear.  The  next  factor  was  the  Reformation  in 
the  Christian  Church  at  the  .opening  of  the  fifteenth 
century.  This  came  about  through  protest  against  cer- 
tain abuses  by  some  Popes  and  priests  of  Catholicism 
and  so  was  called  Protestantism.  •  ft  was  marked  by 
some  differences  in  doctrine  too.  Although  it  led  to 
a  terrible  war  lasting  thirty  years,  it  finally  resulted 
in  a  little  more  religious  freedom  being  given  to  the 
individual. 

•  •  This  liberal  tendency  of  both  the  Renaissance  and 
the  Reformation  reacted  favorably  on  the  Jews,  They 
were  still,  for  many  years  to  come,  persecuted  by 
harsh  laws — shut  out  from  many  occupations  and  con- 
fined to  certain  quarters  known  as  Ghettos,  in  lands 

43    • 


44  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

where  they  were  tolerated  at  all.  But  although  con- 
temptuously held  aloof,  we  no  more  hear  of  those 
terrible  massacres  that  so  often  occurred  in  the  14th 
century.  We  hear  no  more  of  burning  of  the  Talmud. 
In  fact,  permission  was  obtained  to  have  it  printed. 
Perhaps  the  printing  press  was  the  most  potent  revo- 
lutionary force  of  the  age,  spreading  light  and  truth 
and  dissipating  foolish  notions  and  superstitious  ter- 
rors. A  further  indication,  that  the  modern  era  had 
set  in,  was  in  the  lessening  occurrence  of  Jewish  ex- 
pulsions. Lands  that  had  driven  the  Jews  out  were 
now  permitting  them  to  return. 

The  Nations 
Open  Their  Door* 

England  began  readmitting  Jews  about  the  year 
1657,  partly  through  the  painstaking  efforts  of  a  pub- 
lic spirited  Jewish  scholar  Manasseh  ben  Israel.  He 
came  from  Holland,  which  had  invited  Jews  to  settle 
in  its  dominions  soon  after  it  had  freed  itself  from 
Catholic  Spain.  Amsterdam  became  almost  a  new 
Jerusalem.  Many  notable  Jews  flourished  in  Holland, 
the  greatest  of  whom  was  Baruch  Spinoza  the  pan- 
theist, not  really  understood  till  over  a  century  after 
his  death. 

Another  country  that  welcomed  Jewish  refugees 
from  other  lands  was  Turkey.  The  Turks  who  came 
from  Asia,  and  accepted  the  Moslem  faith,  overthrew 
the  Roman  Empire  of  the  East  in  1453.  Thus  Constan- 
tinople became  a  Mohammedan  instead  of  a  Christian 
center.  As  in  Moslem  Spain,  many  Jews  rose  to  posi- 
tions of  great  responsibility  in  Turkey.  One  of  these, 
Joseph  Nasi,  was  so  powerful  that  foreign  nations  were 


EMANCIPATION  45 

pleading  for  his  favorable  influence  in  their  relations 
with  Turkey.  Another,  Solomon  Ashkenazi,  was  really 
the  power  behind  the  Turkish  throne  and  through  him 
Venice  revoked  its  decision  to  banish  its  Jews. 

Still,  Italian  states  became  modern  earlier  than 
most  Christian  lands,  and  on  the  whole  tolerated  their 
Jewish  inhabitants.  This  land  of  Petrarch  and  Dante 
produced  Jewish  poets,  philosophers  and  scientists. 
Some  humorists  too;  the  Jew  never  lost  that  Saving 
grace  of  humor.  It  helped  make  his  hard  lot  sup- 
portable. 

The  Ghetto's 
Isolation 

The  world  was  growing  wiser  and,  therefore,  kinder. 
The  improvement  in  the  condition  of  the  Jews  now 
depended  not  only  on  the  outside  world,  but  on  them- 
selves. The  Jewish  masses  were  very  ignorant  and 
rather  narrow  minded.  We  could  hardly  expect  other- 
wise. Treated  with  hostility  and  contempt  by  the 
world,  the  Jews  came  to  mistrust  the  world.  They 
withdrew  within  themselves  and  forbade  their  youth 
reading  any  but  Jewish  books.  This,  of  course,  shut 
them  out  of  many  realms  of  culture.  Such  an  attitude 
offered  a  striking  contrast  to  earlier  years  when  the 
Jews  were  the  enlightened  and  the  Gentile  masses 
were  the  illiterate.  Living  aloof  first  by  necessity  and 
later  by  choice,  they  came  to  develop  a  language  of 
their  own,  partly  Hebrew,  partly  German;  hence  its 
name  "Yuedisch  Deutsch."  In  Turkey  the  corres- 
ponding language  of  the  Spanish  refugees  was  partly 
Spanish  and  partly  Hebrew,  and  was  known  as 
"Ladino." 


46  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

Mendelssohn 

The  man  who  did  most  to  change  this  condition  of 
isolation  was  Moses  Mendelssohn.  He  came  to  Berlin 
in  1743,  a  poor  boy,  in  search  of  knowledge,  for  he 
cared  for  it  more  than  for  bread.  By  wondrous  per- 
severance and  self-denial,  with  no  teachers  and  few- 
books,  he  acquired  a  knowledge  of  several  languages, 
became  something  of  a  mathematician  and  a  good  deal 
of  a  philosopher.  The  friendship  of  Lessing  (who 
may  have  had  him  in  mind  in  his  Nathan  der  Weise) 
and  who  published  some  essays  that  Mendelssohn  had 
lent  him,  brought  this  gifted  and  modest  man  to  the 
attention  of  the  world  at  large.  The  doors  of  the  great 
and  the  salons  of  the  literary  were  now  open  to  him. 
Some  urged  him  to  forsake  his  religion  for  the  Chris- 
tian Church  and  thus  free  himself  from  association 
with  an  uncouth  people,  living  in  the  slums. 

But  here  was  an  opportunity  to  reveal  the  greatness 
of  the  man.  Instead  of  renouncing  Judaism  he  wrote 
a  defense  of  it  and  instead  of  abandoning  his  people, 
foe  turned  his  attention  to  their  sad  lot  and  set  to  work 
to  broaden  their  cramped  life.  He  began  by  translat- 
ing the  Bible  into  German,  to  encourage  a  knowledge 
of  the  language  of  the  country,  and  in  this  way  enable 
them  to  read  its  literature.  He  added  a  rational  com- 
mentary that  opened  their  eyes  to  many  branches  of 
knowledge.  He  gathered  around  him  a  group  of  dis- 
ciples who  carried  on  this  good  work  of  spreading 
culture  among  the  Jews.  The  start  once  made,  later 
scholars  carried  it  further. 

The  chief  of  his  successors  was  Leopold  Zunz.  His 
researches  brought  to  light  the  richness  of  Jewish  lit- 
erature, which  had  been  neglected  and  the  heroic 


EMANCIPATION  47 

grandeur  of  Jewish  history,  which  was  hardly  known. 
For  in  consequence  of  this  ignorance  of  their  own 
literary  treasure  and  glorious  past,  many  Jews  of  the 
younger  generation,  becoming  ashamed  of  their  Jew- 
ish association,  began  to  desert  the  fold  in  order  to 
obtain  civil  rights  and  social  opportunities  from  which, 
as  Jews,  they  were  barred. 

Prior  to  this  sad  outcome  (which  did  not  occur  until 
after  Mendelssohn's  death),  communities  in  other 
lands  sought  his  aid  to  plead  the  removal  of  disabilities 
against  his  brethren.  So  influential  was  Mendelssohn, 
•that  at  his  urgency  the  pen  of  the  Gentile  was  now 
used,  not  to  slander  the  Jews,  but  to  plead  their  rights 
and  denounce  their  wrongs. 

The  French 
Revolution 

But  the  particular  event  that  finally  brought  about 
the  emancipation  of  the  Jew  was  the  French  Revolu- 
tion in  1789-93.  We  must  bear  in  mind  that  though 
the  Jews  were  the  most  oppressed,  they  were  not  the 
only  oppressed  people  in  the  Middle  Ages.  The  masses 
in  nearly  all  lands  were  ground  down  under  despotic 
rulers.  They  were  taxed  nigh  to  the  breaking  point  to 
maintain  indolent  monarchs  and  a  dissolute  nobility. 

The  break  came  then  first  in  France  when  Louis 
XVI  was  put  to  death  and  a  republic  proclaimed.  Old 
abuses  and  class  privileges  were  abolished  and  the 
equal  rights  of  all  declared.  This  republican  spirit  was 
carried  across  Europe  by  the  army  under  the  general- 
ship of  the  brilliant  Napoleon. 

This  spread  of  liberalism  gradually  reached  the 
'Jews,  Napoleon  summoned  a  Jewish  Sanhedrin  in 


48  STORY  OF  THE  JEW 

1807  and  many,  through  it,  learned  for  the  first  time 
that  the  Jews  regarded  France  as  their  country  and 
the  French  as  their  brethren.  So  ignorant  was  the 
world  of  Jewish  teaching  and  of  the  Jewish  sense  of 
patriotic  obligation ! 

While  many  restrictions  against  the  Jews  were  re- 
moved, yet  the  transformation  of  their  status  was 
slow.  When  Napoleon  was  overthrown  at  Waterloo 
in  1815,  a  reaction  set  in  for  a  time.  It  was  not  until 
many  revolutions  had  occurred  not  only  in  France,  but 
also  in  other  lands,  that  their  emancipation  was  finally 
assured. 

In  1848,  one  of  the  turning  points  in  the  19th  cen- 
tury, Sweden,  Denmark  and  Greece  granted  freedom 
to  their  Jews.  Prussia  removed  some  legal  restrictions 
against  them  in  1850;  Austria  in  1867;  while  in  1866 
the  newly  united  Italy  granted  them  fuller  rights  than 
any  of  these  lands.  England  admitted  Jews  to  Parlia- 
ment in  1858.  Portugal  and  later  on  Spain,  that  had 
banished  their  Jews,  now  invited  them  to  return. 

Poland 

Of  one  land  we  have  not  yet  spoken — Poland.  While 
all  nations  were  persecuting  and  expelling  the  Jews, 
Poland  had  welcomed  them  as  early  as  the  llth  cen- 
tury. Possessing  then  only  a  nobility  and  a  peasantry, 
the  Jews — gifted  with  commercial  enterprise — became 
the  needed  middle  class  to  develop  the  country's  re- 
sources. Casimir  the  Great  granted  them  a  special 
charter  about  1350  with  freedom  of  residence,  equality 
of  taxation  and  right  to  hold  landed  property.  Nat- 
urally our  brethren  flocked  to  this  hospitable  country 
in  large  numbers  until  it  contained  more  Jews  than 
any  other  land.  Later,  bigoted  monks  came  and  roused 


EMANCIPATION  49 

the  fanaticism  of  the  nation  against  them  and  led  to 
the  giving  up  of  these  protecting  laws.  Still,  their 
status  in  Poland  was  never  as  hopeless  as  it  had  been 
in  the  German  States. 

They  were  left  free  to  themselves  to  manage  their 
own  affairs  and  their  rabbis  were  granted  judicial 
powers.  They  lived  completely  a  Jewish  life  and  de- 
voted their  best  energies  to  the  study  of  Talmudic 
law. 

But  Poland  itself  later  met  with  reverses.  Taking 
cruel  advantage  of  its  declining  powers,  Prussia,  Aus- 
tria and  Russia  seized  it  and  divided  it  among  them- 
selves. This  partition,  commenced  in  1772,  was  com- 
pleted in  1795.  Thus,  Poland  as  a  nation  was  wiped 
off  the  map. 

Russia 

As  Russia  acquired  the  largest  slice  of  this  divided 
land,  this  meant  that  the  bulk  of  the  Jews  suddenly 
found  themselves  under  its  sway.  Russia  was  a  late 
comer  among  the  family  of  nations  and  continued  the 
least  progressive.  Finding  this  vast  body  of  Jews  in 
its  midst,  and  wishing  to  restrict  them  within  certain 
bounds,  the  "Pale  of  Settlement"  was  instituted  in 
1791,  marking  the  area  in  which  the  Jews  could  live. 
As  in  other  lands,  their  treatment  in  Russia  varied 
with  the  character  of  the  reigning  monarch. 

Alexander  I  and  particularly  Alexander  II  (who 
freed  the  serfs  in  1861),  liberal  to  their  Gentile  sub- 
jects, were  kindly  disposed  toward  the  Jews.  But 
when  Alexander  III  came  to  the  throne  in  1881,  a  ter- 
rible reaction  set  in.  All  Jewish  privileges  were  re- 
moved and  the  cruel  restrictions  of  his  grandfather 


50  STORY  OP  THE  JEW 

Nicholas  I  were  reintroduced.  Further  than  that,  all 
but  a  minute  percentage  of  the  Jewish  youth  were 
excluded  from  high  schools  and  universities  and  shut 
out  from  all  civil  posts.  Worse  than  all,  not  satisfied 
with  limiting  them  to  the  Pale  of  Settlement,  they 
were  summarily  driven  from  its  villages  to  its  towns. 
This  same  repressive  policy,  that  made  the  mainte- 
nance of  life  barely  possible,  was  continued  by  his 
successor  Nicholas  II.  Pogroms  or  riots  against  the 
Jews  involving  spoliation  and  massacre,  were  secretly 
encouraged  by  the  government  itself.  Pobiedenostseff, 
the  head  of  the  Greek  Church  cruelly  said  that  Russia 
would  solve  the  Jewish  problem  by  forcing  banishment 
on  one-third;  leaving  a  third  to  starve  and  compelling 
the  remainder  to  emigrate.  Vast  numbers  seized  the 
third  solution  and  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 

America 

The  settlement  of  the  Jews  in  North  America  began 
in  1654  when  a  small  group,  driven  from  Portuguese 
Brazil,  landed  in  New  Amsterdam.  Granted  certain 
civil  rights  while  it  was  Dutch,  these  were  further 
extended  when  it  became  English. 

When  the  Thirteen  Colonies  decided  to  throw  off 
the  British  yoke,  Jews  were  among  those  who  patriot- 
ically came  forward  to  fight  for  its  independence. 
Ever  since  the  American  republic  has  been  formed, 
Jews  have  volunteered  in  the  same  spirit  of  loyalty  in 
all  later  wars,  where  its  interests  have  been  threat- 
ened. 

As  the  sway  of  the  United  States  spread  across  the 
American  continent,  reaching  the  Pacific,  it  has  stead- 
ily become  to  an  ever  increasing  extent,  the  haven  of 


EMANCIPATION  51 

oppressed  peoples  from  many  lands,  and  has  offered 
boundless  opportunity  to  the  industrious  and  the  en- 
terprising. 

The  earliest  Jewish  settlers  were  Spanish  and  Por- 
tuguese (Sephardim).  Next  came  the  Germans  (Ash- 
kenasim),  and  most  recently,  the  Russians.  Each 
successive  wave  has  come  in  yet  greater  numbers ;  so 
that  while  in  1880  there  were  but  230,000  Jews  in  the 
United  States,  in  1918,  there  were  over  three  million. 
Gladly  have  they  identified  themselves  with  America's 
interests,  contributing  to  its  commercial  growth,  its 
scholarship  and  its  art,  and  winning  eminence  in  its 
professions.  America  is  the  one  land  that  has  never 
denied  religious  freedom  to  the  Jews,  never  confined 
them  in  Ghettos,  nor  placed  on  their  gabardine  the 
badge  of  shameful  discrimination.  Neither  race  nor 
faith  excludes  the  Jew  here  from  the  highest  posts  of 
honor  and  responsibility. 

It  is  said  that  every  land  has  the  Jews  it  deserves. 
Admitted  here  on  a  plane  of  complete  equality,  the 
Jews  of  America  are  among  the  most  loyal  of  its 
citizens. 

Social  Ostracism 

Civil  rights  can  be  decided  by  government  and  law  ; 
but  social  good-will  is  dependent  on  individuals. 
Friendly  spirit  of  fellowship  to  those  of  divergent 
creeds  is  the  latest  attainment  of  a  people's  culture. 
Thus,  even  in  such  liberal  lands  as  Britain,  France  and 
America,  prejudice  against  Jews  has  not  entirely  died 
away. 

The  Anti-Semitic  movement,  started  in  Germany  in 
1879,  is  an  example  in  point.  It  was  an  attempt  to  dis- 


SJ  STORY  Of-  T111L  JJill' 

credit  the  Jew  and  throw  doubt  upon  his  patriotism. 
It  further  charged  him  with  exploiting  the  simple  folk 
for  material  gain. 

Zionism 

As  a  defense  against  the  persistent  persecution  in 
some  lands  and  social  ostracism  in  nearly  all,  a  move- 
ment known  as  Zionism  was  launched  at  the  end  of 
the  19th  century  by  Theodor  Herzl,  to  obtain  from  the 
Great  Powers  a  legally  assured  home  in  Palestine  for 
Jews  disfranchised  and  ostracised,  and  also  for  others 
who  for  sentimental  reasons  might  desire  to  live  in 
the  home  of  their  fathers. 

The  movement  when  first  launched  won  both  advo- 
cates and  opponents.  But  it  gained  many  new  adher- 
ents, when  in  its  second  stage,  it  was  marked  by  the 
encouragement  of  Jewish  culture.  This  has  tended 
to  deepen  the  Jewish  consciousness. 

The  Declaration  of  the  British  Government  in  1917, 
when  its  triumphant  armies  entered  Palestine,  in  favor 
of  the  establishment  there  of  "a  national  home  for  the 
Jewish  people,"  has  given  the  Zionist  movement  a  new 
impetus.  This  may  have  profound  consequences  on 
Israel's  future  history. 

The  World  War 

The  war  that  began  in  1914,  the  greatest  in  the  chron- 
icles of  mankind,  the  cost  of  which  has  been  so  unpre- 
cedentally  terrific  in  blood  and  treasure,  is  now,  happily, 
over.  An  indirect  result  has  been  the  Russian  Revolution. 
This  has  removed  most  of  the  disabilities  against  the  six 
million  Jews  there  resident.  The  present  chaotic  reaction 
we  may  regard  as  a  passing  phase. 


EMANCIPATION  53 

The  aims  of  America  and  her  Allies,  through  their  final 
triumph,  are  now  in  process  of  achievement  at  the  Peace 
Conference  in  Paris  in  1919.  These  are:  First,  to  grant 
to  all  peoples  great  and  small  the  right  of  self-determina- 
tion as  to  their  choice  of  government  and  their  mode  of 
life;  this  is  leading  to  a  new  grouping  of  nationalities. 
Secondly,  the  calling  into  existence  of  a  League  of  Na- 
tions to  further  the  welfare  of  all  classes  of  society  and 
to  arbitrate  national  differences  —  thus  giving  ultimate 
promise  of  the  abolition  of  war. 

The  cause  of  Israel  in  lands  where  oppression  still  lin- 
gers has  been  laid  before  the  Peace  Conference,  and  its 
action  has  decided  the  final  steps  to  make  the  emancipa- 
tion of  this  long  suffering  people  complete.  For  ex- 
ample, one  of  the  new  nations  called  into  being  is 
Poland.  Among  the  conditions  on  which  it  has  been 
granted  independence  is  the  recognition  of  the  rights 
of  minorities.  In  the  treaty  signed  by  this  new  state, 
the  rights  of  the  Jews  are  safeguarded  in  matters  of 
education,  language,  Sabbath  observance,  and  in  the 
unrestricted  fulfilment  of  all  religious  obligations. 

We  are  therefore  witnessing  history  in  the  making. 
Doubtless  Israel  that  has  played  so  significant  a  part 
in  the  world's  record,  may  yet  make  an  important  con- 
tribution in  furthering  the  aims  of  liberty  and  peace, 
and  may  help  bring  to  realization  its  spiritual  ideals, 
cherished  by  its  prophets  in  a  far  off  day ! 


CONFIRMATION 
MANUAL 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 


THE  JEWISH  CALENDAR 

The  names  of  the  Jewish  months  are  Assyrian  and 
were  adopted  by  our  ancestors  during  the  Babylonian 
Exile. 

They  are  regulated  by  the  changes  of  the  moon. 
Each  "new  moon"  marks  a  new  month.  They  contain 
either  29  or  30  days. 

This  would  make  each  year  354  days.  But  the  solar 
year,  used  in  our  civil  reckoning  computed  by  the 
earth's  annual  revolution  around  the  sun,  consists  of 
365%  days.  In  order  to  bring  the  lunar  year  in  closer 
measurement  with  the  solar,  and  that  thereby  all 
feasts  and  anniversaries  may  fall  at  the  same  season 
each  year,  an  additional  month  is  added  seven  times 
in  every  nineteen  years,  in  the  following  order :  3rd, 
6th,  8th,  llth,  14th,  17th,  19th. 

This  addition  of  a  month  is  similar  in  purpose  to  the 
addition  of  a  day  every  four  years  in  the  civil  calendar 
to  make  up  the  quarter  of  a  day  dropped  from  each 
year. 

The  beginning  of  each  month  was  kept  as  a  festival 
in  ancient  times.  (See  I  Samuel  20:  8-27.)  • 

In  the  Jewish  Calendar  the  day  commences  at  sun- 
set. Therefore,  the  Sabbath  and  the  Festivals  com- 
mence on  the  evening  preceding. 

The  night  was  divided  into  three  watches.  The  first, 
from  sunset  till  about  ten  o'clock ;  the  second,  from  ten 
till  about  two ;  the  third,  from  two  till  sunrise. 

57 


58  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

HEBREW  MONTHS 

With  dates  of  Festivals  and  Solemn  Days. 
AUTUMN 

Tishri:     1st,  Rosh  Hashana,  New  Year. 

10th,  Yom  Kippur,  Day  of  Atone- 
ment. 

15th  to  21st,  Succoth,  Tabernacles. 
22d,  Sh'mini  Atsereth,  Eighth  day 

of  Solemn  Assejubly. 
Heshvan, 

Kislev:    25th,  continuing  eight  days,  Han- 
uka,  Dedication. 

WINTER 

Tebeth, 

Sh'bat, 

Adar:       14th,  Purim,  Feast  of  Lots. 

(Second  Adar  occurs  only  in 
Leap  Year,  in  which  case  Pu- 
rim is  postponed  to  the  14th  of 
this  month) 

SPRING 

Nisan:    15th  to  21st,  Pesach  ;  Passover. 

lyar, 

Sivan:     6th,  Shabuoth  ;  Pentecost. 

SUMMER 

Tamuz, 

Ab:         9th,  Fast  of  Ab. 

Ellul, 

Conservative  Jews  add  another  day  to  each  of  the 
three  Pilgrimage  Festivals  and  to  the  New  Year.  It  is 
a  survival  of  the  time  when  the  calendar  was  not  ar- 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  59 

ranged  in  advance  by  calculation,  but  on  the  actual 
appearance  of  the  new  moon.  There  was  therefore 
the  uncertainty  of  a  day  as  to  just  when  the  new  moon 
would  appear,  from  which  the  sacred  days  were  reck- 
oned. 


JUDAISM'S    SACRED   DAYS 

For  Biblical  references  see 
"READINGS  FROM  SCRIPTURE" 

The  Three  Festivals  of  Pilgrimage 
I— PESACH,  PASSOVER 

Passover  occurs  in  the  spring,  and  is  often  called  the 
Spring  Festival.  It  celebrated  the  beginning  of  the 
harvest  (of  barley)  which  fell  early  in  .Palestine. 
When  gathering  the  produce  of  the  earth  which  sus- 
tains our  lives,  it  is  fitting  that  we  should  remind  our- 
selves of  the  Giver  of  all  these  bounties.  This  purpose 
runs  through  all  three  Festivals. 

But  by  far  the  greatest  importance  of  Passover  for 
us,  is  the  commemoration  of  Israel's  redemption  from 
Egypt. 

.In  addition  to  divine  worship  in  the  Sanctuary,  a 
Seder  (service)  is  conducted  in  the  home  in  which  the 
Hagadah  (story)  of  Israel's  freedom  from  slavery  is 
told.  The  chief  ceremonial  of  this  Festival  is  the  un- 
leavened bread,  commemorative  of  the  haste  of  de- 
parture from  the  land  of  serfdom, 


Oo  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

1  "'•  i 

SHABUOTH,  PENTECOST 

Pentecost  marked  the  wheat  harvest.  Shabuoth 
means  "weeks"  because  seven  weeks  were  counted 
from  the  time  when  the  cutting  of  the  barley  was  be- 
gun at  Passover.  On  the  day  following  the  seven 
weeks,  i.  e.,  on  the  50th  day,  this  Festival  was  ob- 
served. This  gives  the  reason  for  the  name,  Pentecost, 
wrhich  means  "fiftieth."  Symbolic  of  the  harvest,  the 
synagogues  on  this  Festival  are  decorated  with 
flowers. 

The  historic  feature  of  the  Festival  is  the  celebra- 
tion of  the  giving  of  the  Ten  Commandments,  which 
Israel  received  at  this  season.  For  this  reason,  it  has 
also  been  chosen  as  the  most  fitting  season  for  CON- 
FIRMATION. 

Passover  may  be  called  the  birth  of  Israel  as  a  peo- 
ple:. -Pentecost,  the  birth  of  the  Jewish  religion. 

III—SUCCOTH,  TABERNACLES 

Tabernacles  is  our  Thanksgiving  Day.  When  all  the 
produce  for  .the  year  has  been  gathered  in  and  stored 
in  barns,  granaries  and  wine-presses  for  the  coming 
winter,  we  raise  our  voices  in  gratitude  to  our  Father, 
who  "opens  H'is  hand  and  satisfies  the  wants  of  all  His 
creatures."  Since  Succoth  occurs  around  the  time  of 
our  northern  harvests,  it  has  come  to  be  regarded  as 
essentially  our  Harvest  Festival  rather  than  Passover 
or  Pentecost.  We  bring  into  the  service  certain  kinds 
of  plants  and  fruits  (the  palm,  citron,  myrtle  and  wil- 
lows of  the  brook),  to  have  before  us  the  gifts  of  the 
Almighty  and  to  praise  Him  with  these  in  our  hands. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  61 

It  derives  its  name  "Tabernacles"  from  the  com- 
mand to  dwell  in  tabernacles,  or  tents,  during  the  fes- 
tival. This  recalls  first,  the  camping  out  in  temporary 
booths  during  the  harvest;  and,  secondly  and  more 
particularly,  commemorates  the  simple  homes  of  our 
first  ancestors  in  the  desert.  It,  therefore,  reminds  us 
how  the  love  of  God  protected  them  during  those  days 
of  trial  and  danger.  It  is  well  that  in  prosperity  and 
success  we  should  remember  our  earlier  days  of  pov- 
erty and  trial. 

Each  of  the  three  festivals  has,  then,  a  double  fea- 
ture, first,  celebrating  the  changes  and  gifts  of  Nature: 
second,  commemorating  events  in  our  past  History. 
To  summarize : 

PASSOVER 

Historical : — Redemption    from   Egypt. 
Agricultural: — Spring;  Barley  Harvest. 

PENTECOST 

Historical: — Delivery  of  the  Decalogue. 
Agricultural: — Summer;  Wheat  Harvest. 

TABERNACLES 

Historical : — Booth  dwelling  in  the  wilderness. 
Agricultural: — Autumn  ;   Ingathering 

Passover  and  Tabernacles  last  seven  days,  but  Pen- 
tecost only  one.  The  eighth  day  of  Tabernacles  is  a 
separate  festival*  called  "Eighth  Day  of  Solemn  As- 
sembly" (Heb.  Sh'mini  Atzereth)  ;  it  was  an  ancient 
water  festival.  When  our  ancestors  lived  in  Palestine, 


62  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

they  were  commanded  to  come  to  the  capital,  Jerusa- 
lem, where  the  Temple  stood,  to  bring  their  festival 
offerings.  They  were  called,  therefore,  the  Three 
Pilgrimages. 

All  were  to  rejoice  on  the  festivals,  but  the  poor 
were  not  to  be  forgotten.  "Thou  shalt  rejoice  before 
the  Lord  thy  God;  thy  man-servant  and  thy  maid- 
servant and  the  stranger  and  the  fatherless  and  the 
widow." 


The  Two  Holy  Days 


ROSH  HASHANA,  NEW  YEAR 

New  Year  occurs  in  the  Autumn.  In  later  days  this 
Biblical  celebration  of  the  first  day  of  the  seventh 
month  was  deepened  in  import.  Unlike  the  secular 
New  Year,  it  is  not  made  the  occasion  for  external 
changes  in  public  office  and  in  civil  life,  but  is  rather 
made  the  solemn  opportunity  for  religious  reflection 
and  self-examination.  It  has  three  names,  all  con- 
nected with  this  one  idea. 

First,  it  is  called  the  "Day  of  the  Sounding  of  the 
Shofar."  The  trumpet-blast  symbolizes  the  "call  to 
duty"  and  is  intended  to  stir  our  hearts  to  thoughts 
of  God. 

Secondly,  it  is  called  the  "Day  of  Judgment,"  for  we 
stand,  as  it  were,  in  the  presence  of  our  Father  and  ask 
Him  to  judge  our  lives  with  mercy. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  63 

Thirdly,  it  is  the  "Day  of  Memorial."  The  New  Year 
suggests  the  old  years.  So  we  look  back  upon  the 
events  of  the  past.  It  brings  home  the  eternity  of  God 
and  recalls  to  mind  the  great  heroes  whose  doings 
should  inspire  us  to  follow  their  example. 


YOM  KIPPUR,  DAY  OF  ATONEMENT 

Atonement  is  the  climax  of  the  ten  days  of  penitence 
that  begin  with  the  New  Year.  It  is  the  most  solemn 
day  in  the  Jewish  calendar.  We  keep  completely  aloof 
from  all  doings  of  the  outside  world  and  from  all 
thoughts  of  our  daily  affairs.  We  leave  our  pleasures, 
our  business,  our  schools,  our  homes,  and  gather  in  the 
House  of  God,  where  we  remain  in  prayer  from  morn- 
ing till  evening.  We  take  no  food  on  this  day. 

The  sins  committed  in  the  past  are  confessed  and 
forgiveness  asked.  It  is  the  day  to  make  resolutions 
for  better  conduct ;  to  give  up  bad  habits ;  to  forswear 
wicked  practices ;  to  plan  noble  deeds.  On  this  day 
we  resolve  to  live  purer,  juster,  kinder  lives  in  the 
days  yet  to  come. 

The  two  Holy  Days  tend  to  stimulate  religious  re- 
vival in  the  house  of  Israel,  throughout  the  world. 

It  has  been  pointed  out  that  just  as  the  seventh  day 
was  kept  sacred  as  the  Sabbath  and  the  seventh  year 
as  a  solemn  period  of  rest  for  the  land,  so  the  seventh 
month  was  chosen  as  the  holy  month,  in  which  we  be- 
gin our  religious  New  Year. 

Do  not  confuse  the  Festivals,  which  are  times  of 
rejoicing,  with  New  Year  and  Atonement,  which  are 
days  of  solemnity. 


64  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

The  Two  Minor  Feasts 


The  term  "minor"  was  applied  to  Hanuka  and 
Purim  because  the  events  that  they  commemorate 
occurred  late  in  Israel's  history,  after  its  religious 
institutions  were  supposed  to  be  complete. 

PURIM,  FEAST  OF  LOTS 

This  Feast  commemorates  an  event  that  took  place 
during  the  period  when  Israel  lived  under  Persian 
vassalage  in  the  reign  of  Xerxes  (Ahasuerus,  485-465 
B.  c.  E.).  A  prime  minister  named  Hainan,  a  proud  and 
jealous  man,  receiving  what  he  thought  a  slight  from 
a  Jew  named  Mordecai  determined  to  use  his  power 
to  destroy  all  the  Jews  in  the  Persian  realm,  for  the 
fancied  error  of  one.  To  attain  this  base  purpose,  he 
slandered  them  to  the  king,  stigmatizing  them  as  a 
people  dangerous  and  disloyal.  The  falsity  of  this 
charge  is  best  revealed  in  the  character  of  Mordecai, 
the  presumed  chief  offender,  who  was  really  a  patriot, 
having  exposed  a  plot  that  threatened  the  king's  life. 

The  wicked  conspiracy  was  defeated  by  Queen 
Esther,  a  Jewess,  who  risked  her  life  to  save  her 
brethren.  Hainan  was  hanged  on  the  very  gallows  he 
had  prepared  for  the  execution  of  Mordecai. 

The  glad  deliverance  was  gratefully  commemorated 
by  sending  presents  to  friends  and  gifts  to  the  poor. 
This  pleasing  custom  has  been  kept  alive  down  to  this 
day. 

The  Biblical  derivation  of  Purim  is  "Lots."  We  are 
told  that  Haman  cast  lots  as  to  the  most  propitious 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  65 

day  on  which  to  undertake  the  slaughter  of  the  Jews. 
The  story  will  be  found  in  the  book  of  Esther  which 
is  read  in  the  Purim  service. 

HANUKA,  DEDICATION 

The  Persian  era  was  followed  by  the  Greek,  332 
B.  c.  E.  when  the  Jews  experienced  a  change  of  masters. 
All  went  well  with  them  under  this  tolerant  rule,  until 
the  year  175  B.  c.  E.  when  Antiochus  Epiphanes  became 
king  of  one  of  the  divisions  of  this  Empire  —  the 
Greco-Syrian.  He  determined  to  reduce  all  the  peo- 
ples under  his  sway  to  one  pagan  uniformity.  This 
tyrannical  order,  perhaps  easier  for  others,  was  impos- 
sible for  the  Jews,  since  the  principles  of  their  faith 
stood  opposed  to  most  of  the  religious  conceptions  of 
their  surroundings.  It  was  part  of  the  unfortunate 
notion  of  heathen  cults  that  certain  sins  were  sanc- 
tioned instead  of  being  condemned. 

The  Jews,  excepting  a  few  waverers,  refused  to 
abandon  the  faith  it  was  their  duty  to  cherish.  In 
spite  of  dreadful  persecutions  of  old  and  young,  they 
remained  steadfast  to  the  God  of  their  fathers,  even 
though  it  cost  many  their  lives.  When  the  cause 
seemed  almost  lost  and  the  blood  of  many  martyrs  had 
been  shed,  a  great  man  named  Mattathias  gave  them 
new  courage  by  his  heroic  example.  One  of  his  sons, 
Judas,  called  Maccabeus  (the  hammer),  a  brave  war- 
rior and  a  great  general,  gathered  a  few  scattered 
Jews  under  his  banner,  and  in  spite  of  the  vast  army 
of  the  powerful  enemy,  he  dared  to  meet  them  on  the 
field  of  war.  But  what  Israel  lacked  in  numbers,  they 
made  up  in  conscientious  conviction.  It  was  a  battle 
between  battalions  and  ideals. 


66  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

In  the  year  165  u.  c.  E.  the  enemy  was  defeated  and 
they  joyfully  returned  once  more  to  the  capital,  Jeru- 
salem. The  Temple  that  had  been  defiled  through 
idolatrous  worship,  was  rededicated.  Hence  the  name 
of  the  Festival  commemorating  the  victory,  Hanu- 
ka,  meaning  "dedication."  The  festival  is  celebrated 
for  eight  days.  In  the  evening  lights  are  kindled,  sym- 
bols of  triumph  and  joy.  Hence  its  second  name 
"Feast  of  Lights."  Each  night  an  additional  candle  is 
added.  This  increase  of  illumination  symbolically  in- 
dicates the  steady  growth  of  the  religious  spirit  of 
Israel.  Suffering  for  conviction  fanned  the  dormant 
tmbers  of  indifference  into  a  flame  oh  holy  zeal. 

Though  called  a  "Minor  Feast"  for  reasons  given 
above,  it  really  commemorates  one  of  the  grand  events 
of  Israel's  history.  The  heroism  and  sacrifice  of  that 
brave  band  of  zealous  men  saved  the  cause  of  Judaism 
and  thereby  decided  the  fate  of  two  other  great  relig- 
ions of  the  civilized  world  that  later  grew  out  of  it. 
Therefore  the  devotion  of  these  warriors  of  a  far  off 
day,  assured  the  spiritual  welfare  of  mankind. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  67 

Fast  Days 

TISHA  B'AB,  NINTH  OF  AB 

This  is  the  date  of  the  fall  of  both  the  first  and  sec- 
ond Temples.  Jerusalem  with  the  Temple  of  Solomon 
was  destroyed  for  the  first  time  586  B.  c.  E.  and  the  sur- 
vivors exiled  to  Babylon.  The  destruction  of  the  cap- 
ital with  the  second  Temple  occurred  in  70  A.  c.  E.  This 
marked  the  final  overthrow  of  the  Jewish  nation,  and 
the  scattering  of  the  Jews  through  the  world. 

There  are  two  schools  in  Judaism,  each  regarding 
this  epochal  event  from  a  different  point  of  view.  The 
Orthodox  Jews  who  fast  on  the  Ninth  of  Ab,  daily 
pray  for  the  restoration  of  the  Jewish  nation,  under 
the  leadership  of  a  Messiah  King.  The  Reformed 
Jews  no  longer  cherish  the  hope  of  a  return  to  the 
Holy  Land  or  a  re-establishment  of  the  Jewish  nation. 
They  regard  their  dispersion  through  the  nations  as 
a  means  of  fulfilling  the  mission  of  Israel. 

MINOR  FASTS 

Some  additional  fasts  recognized  by  conservative 
Jews  are :  The  Tenth  of  Tebeth,  marking  the  com- 
mencement of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Babylo- 
nians, 588  B.  c.  E.  The  Seventeenth  of  Tamuz  com-( 
memorating  both  the  breaking  down  of  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  in  the  first  overthrow,  and  their  final  de- 
struction in  the  second  overthrow  by  the  Romans.  The 
Third  of  Tishri,  the  anniversary  of  the  death  of  Gedal- 
yah,  Governor  of  Judah,  586  B.  c.  E.,  that  precipitated 
the  final  stage  of  Judah's  exile. 


68  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

SOME  RELIGIOUS  DEFINITIONS 
Religion 

Religion  is  our  recognition  of  a  higher  power — God, 
and  our  persistent  effort  to  come  nearer  to  his  perfec- 
tion in  all  things. 

This  definition  contains  two  elements  :  Beliefs  (doc- 
trines) and  Duties. 

Duties  may  be  again  sub-divided  into  Ceremonies 
and  Morals. 

A  ceremony  is  a  rite  that  conveys  in  a  symbolic  form 
a  principle  or  an  obligation ;  it  may  also  illustrate  a 
historic  event.  For.  examples  of  each :  divine  worship, 
the  Sabbath,  the  Passover. 

Morals  include  such  duties  as  instinctively  appeal  to 
the  conscience  as  universal  and  perennial  laws  of  right 
and  Wrong;  such  as  precepts  prohibiting  theft  or  en- 
joining helpfulness. 

Faith 

The  fundamental  beliefs  of  religion  concern  God,  the 
Soul,  the  Future.  These  are  all  of  that  metaphysical 
character  that  cannot  be  mathematically  proved  or 
scientifically  demonstrated.  They  ultimately  depend 
on  faith.  Faith,  then,  is  the  mind's  acceptance,  either 
on  past  authority  or  from  inner  conviction,  of  that 
which  is  beyond  material  proofs.  Faith  begins  where 
knowledge  ends. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  69 

Natural  and 
Revealed  Religion 

A  distinction  is  sometimes  drawn  in  religion  be- 
tween that  which  is  natural  and  that  which  is  revealed. 

Natural  religion  is  expressive  of  those  spiritual  truths 
that  are  instinctive  in  the  human  heart.  Revealed 
religion  applies  to  that  which  has  been  transmitted 
from  the  past  through  inspired  prophets,  the  record 
of  which  is  contained  in  the  Bible,  sometimes,  there- 
fore, called  the  Book  of  Revelation.  But  this  distinc- 
tion is  apparent  rather  than  real,  for  the  soul's  realiza- 
tion of  divine  Providence  may  itself  be  called  a 
revelation  of  God  to  each  individual,  though  it  takes 
the  spiritual  genius  of  a  prophet  to  give  it  expression. 

Judaism 

The  name  given  to  our  religion  is  Judaism.  It  is 
monotheistic  in  that  it  is  based  on  belief  in  one  sole 
God.  Both  Christianity  and  Mohammedanism  turn 
back  to  it  as  their  ultimate  source  of  religious 
authority. 

There  are  two  schools  of  interpretation  of  Judaism : 
The  Orthodox  or  Conservative. 
The  Reformed  or  Progressive. 

For  detailed  distinction  see  "Modern  Jewish  His- 
tory" (Maurice  H.  Harris ;  Bloch  Publishing  Co.)  pp. 
184,  120,  121. 


70  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 


THE    TEN    COMMANDMENTS 


1.  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  who  brought  thee  out  of 
the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house  of  bondage. 

2.  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  Me.    Thou 
shalt  not  make  unto  thee  any  graven  image,  even  any 
manner   of   likeness    of   anything   that    is    in   heaven 
above,  or  that  is  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  that  is  in  the 
water  under  the  earth ;  thou  shalt  not  bow  down  unto 
them,  nor  serve  them.    For  I  the  Lord  thy  God  am  a 
jealous  God,  visiting  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generations  of 
them  that  hate  Me,  and  showing  mercy  unto  the  thou- 
sandth generation  of  them  that  love  Me  and  keep  My 
commandments. 

3.  Thou  shalt  not  take  the  name  of  the  Lord  thy  God 
in  vain;  for  the  Lord  will  not  hold  him  guiltless,  who 
taketh  His  name  in  vain. 

4.  Remember  the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy.     Six 
days  shalt  thou   labor  and  do  all   thy  work,  but   the 
seventh  day  is  a  sabbath  unto  the  Lord  thy  God,  in  it 
thou  shalt  not  do  any  manner  of  work ;  thou,  nor  thy 
son,  nor  thy  daughter,  nor  thy  man-servant,  nor  thy 
maid-servant,  nor  any  of  thy  cattle,  nor  thy  stranger 
that  is  within  thy  gates  ;  that  thy  man-servant  and  thy 
maid-servant  may  rest  as  well  as  thou.  And  thou  shalt 
remember  that  thou  wast  a  slave  in  the  land  of  Egypt 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  71 

and  the  Lord  thy  God  brought  thee  out  thence  by  a 
mighty  hand,  and  by  an  outstretched  arm,  therefore, 
the  Lord  thy  God  commanded  thee  to  keep  the  Sab- 
bath day. 

5.  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother  that  thy  days 
may  be  long,  and  that  it  may  go  well  with  thee,  upon 
the  land  which  the  Lord  thy  God  giveth  thee. 

6.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  murder. 

7.  Thou  shalt  not  commit  adultery. 

8.  Thou  shalt  not  steal. 

9.  Thou  shalt  not  bear    false    witness    against    thy 
neighbor. 

10.  Thou  shalt  not  covet  thy  neighbor's  wife,  neither 
shalt  thou  desire  thy  neighbor's  house ;  his  field,  or  his 
man-servant,  or  his  maid-servant,  his  ox,  or  his  ass, 
or  anything  that  is  thy  neighbor's. 

Deuteronomy  5:  6-18 


7.2  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

DOCTRINES  OF  THE  JEWISH  FAITH 


God 

God  is  one,  perfect,  spiritual,  eternal ;  the  omnipre- 
sent Creator  of  all  that  is ;  the  omniscient  Ruler  of  the 
Universe ;  the  wise  and  loving  Father  of  mankind. 

Man 

Man  is  gifted  with  Reason,  through  which  he  ac- 
quires a  knowledge  of  the  world  and  its  laws.  He  is 
endowed  with  Conscience,  whereby  he  learns  to  dis- 
tinguish between  right  and  wrong;  and  with  Freewill 
to  choose  between  good  and  evil. 

Immortality 

Man  is  of  dual  nature — body  and  soul.  The  body  is 
material  and  is  but  the  medium  through  which  earthly 
life  manifests  itself;  it  is  evanescent  and  decays  at 
death.  The  soul  is  spiritual,  stamped  with  the  divine 
image  ;  it  is  the  essence  of  man's  being  and  is  immortal. 

Human 
Accountability 

Man  is  accountable  to  God  for  all  his  actions.  He 
should  make  divine  perfection  his  ideal  standard  of 
conduct  and  be  holy  because  God  is  holy. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  73 

God  chastens  His  children  as  a  wise  father  the  child 
he  loves.  Pain,  struggle,  and  sorrow  are  divine  edu- 
cators, developing  the  noblest  capacities  of  the  soul. 


Mission  of 
Israel 

Israel,  gifted  with  the  genius  for  religion,  were  the 
first  to  recognize  the  sole  God  and  His  law  of  right- 
eousness. This  revelation  of  the  divine  Father,  which 
they  were  best  fitted  to  receive,  singled  them  out  as 
God's  witnesses.  Hence  they  became  "a  kingdom  of 
priests,"  whose  mission  was  to  bring  a  knowledge  of 
the  Eternal  and  His  law  to  mankind.  They  were 
called  God's  chosen  servants,  who  must  be  ready,  if 
needs  be,  to  suffer  contumely  and  martyrdom  in  bring- 
ing light  to  the  Gentiles. 


The 
Messianic  Era 

The  discipline  of  man  in  the  school  of  life,  the  fuller 
truth  gradually  revealed  to  him  in  generations  of  ex- 
perience is  steadily  making  clearer  to  his  mind  and 
heart  the  final  purpose  of  providence  an4  humanity's 
destiny, 

Thus  in  the  latter  days,  the  Messianic  Time,  all  man- 
kind will  at  last  be  united  as  one  loving  family  in  unity 
and  peace,  learning  war  no  more.  Then  will  the  earth 
be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  God  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea, 


74  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 


DECLARATION  OF  CONFIRMANTS 


Question:  You  have  here  declared  your  belief  in  the 
Almighty  and  this  Temple  is  as  Mount  Sinai.  Are  you 
prepared  to  cling  to  the  living  God  ? 

Answer :  We  gladly  declare  our  trust  in  divine  Provi- 
dence. May  it  grow  with  our  growth  and  strengthen 
with  our  strength. 

"Sh'tna  Yisrocl  Adonoi  Elohenu  Adonoi  Echod." 

"Hear  Oh  Israel,  the  Lord  our  God,  the  Lord  is  one. 
And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart, 
and  with  all  thy  soul,  and  with  all  thy  might." 


II 

Question :  There  has  been  instilled  into  you  the  vital 
difference  between  right  and  wrong,  the  obligations  to 
your  parents  and  your  fellowmen.  "See  now  I  set  be- 
fore you  this  day  life  and  good,  death  and  evil."  Will 
you  choose  the  good  ? 

Answer:  We  solemnly  promise  to  give  heed  to  every 
duty  that  meets  us  and  ever  to  listen  to  the  still  small 
voice  of  conscience — the  voice  of  God  within  us;  as  ex- 
pressed in  these  words  of  Scripture — "He  hath  told  thee, 
Oh  man,  what  is  good  and  what  doth  the  Lord  thy  God 
require  of  thee,  only  to  do  justly  and  to  love  mercy  and 
to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God."  Ah-soss  mish-pat,  ve'- 
a'ha-vas  che-sed,  v'atz-nai-ah  lay-ches  im  eh-lo-echo. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  75 

III 

Question :  You  have  been  instructed  in  the  principles 
of  the  Jewish  religion  transmitted  from  our  past  ancestry 
and  enriched  with  the  riper  truths  of  later  ages.  Are  you 
prepared  to  treasure  its  spiritual  message,  to  teach  it  by 
living  it,  to  make  sacrifice  that  its  cause  may  prevail  and 
faithfully  to  hand  it  down  to  coming  generations? 

Answer:  We  accept  the  faith  of  Israel  as  did  our  fa- 
thers at  Mount  Sinai.  We  pray  that  it  may  never  depart 
from  us  and  we  will  strive  so  to  live  as  to  be  worthy  to  be- 
come mom-leh-ches  ko-ha-neem  v'go-e  kodosh.  "A  king- 
dom of  priests  and  a  holy  people." 


;6  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

Benedictions  on  Reading  the  Law 

(BEFORE  READING.) 


^p  wriSt*  »  nns*  r 
,  iniin  TO  i^-fn4i  o^^. 

:  rrpnn  fnu  '»  nns 


jro  "i^'N*  .  D^n  7]7£  irn1?^  »»  nn^  r 

v'ni  .nq 
,-nnlnn 


Praise  ye  the  Lord  to  whom  all  praise  is  due. 

Praised  be  the  Lord  to  whom  all  praise  is  due  now 
and  forevermore. 

Praised  be  Thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse, who  hast  chosen  us  from  among  all  peoples  and 
hast  given  us  Thy  law.  Praised  be  Thou,  O  Lord, 
Giver  of  the  Law. 

Praised  be  Thou,  O  Lord  our  God,  Ruler  of  the  uni- 
verse who  hast  given  us  the  law  of  truth  and  hast 
implanted  within  us  eternal  life.  Praised  be  Thou,  O 
Lord,  Giver  of  the  Law. 


CONFIRMATION  MANUAL  77 

r       , 

PRAYERS  FOR  CONFIRMANTS 

Morning 

Almighty  God,  Thy  loving  kindness  endureth  for- 
ever. Daily  Thou  renewest  Thy  tender  care  unto  us 
all.  I  thank  Thee  for  the  gift  of  life  and  for  all  the 
blessings  that  come  With  it.  Oh,  help  me  to  keep  pure 
the  soul  Thou  hast  given  me.  May  I  never  mar  Thine 
image  within  me  by  unworthy  deeds,  but  strive  always 
to  be  god-like.  Oh  teach  me  to  love  right  and  truth 
in  loving  Thee,  and  never  to  forget  Thee,  because  Thou 
art  unseen. 

Oh  aid  me  to  fit  myself  spiritually  for  the  solemn 
rite  of  confirmation.  Strengthen  me  in  the  principles 
of  our  beloved  faith.  Endow  me  with  the  courage  of 
conviction,  with  love  of  truth.  Quicken  my  compas- 
sion for  suffering  Israel  throughout  the  world  and 
deepen  my  sense  of  fellowship  with  all  mankind.  Make 
me  to  understand  the  pleasure  of  duty,  the  joy  of  being 
helpful  to  others,  the  beauty  of  holiness.  Search  me, 
oh  God,  and  know  my  heart  and  lead  me  from  evil,  to 
Thee.  Amen. 

Night 

Father  of  Mercies,  I  thank  Thee  for  Thy  care,  which 
hath  no  end,  and  for  Thy  love,  which  goeth  far  beyond 
my  knowledge.  I  thank  Thee  for  the  strength  which 
Thou  renewest  each  day  so  that  my  tasks  become  a 
joy.  And  now,  at  night,  when  my  powers  are  ex- 
hausted and  Thou  takest  me  in  Thy  arms,  I  thank 
Thee  for  the  sweet  sleep  that  falls  upon  me. 

Oh,  teach  me  to  obey  the  voice  of  my  conscience, 
which  is  Thy  voice  within  me.  May  no  fear  of  suffer- 


78  CONFIRMATION  MANUAL 

ing  lead  me  away  from  the  love  of  right ;  but  aid  me 
to  fear  sin  more  than  pain. 

Oh,  forgive  my  failings  of  the  past  day.  Help  me 
to  be  more  thoughtful  for  others,  more  patient  to  all. 
Oh  preserve  my  dear  parents,  and  those  who  love  me, 
from  all  harm.  And  deepen  my  faith  in  Thee,  so  that 
I  shall  not  be  afraid,  whatever  may  befall  me.  Amen. 

CONFIRMATION  HYMN 


Father,  see  Thy  suppliant  children 
Trembling  stand  before  Thy  throne, 

To  confirm  the  vow  of  Horeb : 
"We  will  serve  the  Lord  alone." 

Thy  command  shall  be  engraven 

On  the  tables  of  our  heart, 
Till  the  heart  in  death  be  broken 

And  the  cord  of  life  shall  part. 

When  dark  tempests  lowering  gather, 

It  will  be  our  strength  and  stay, 
It  will  be  our  guardian  angel 

Upon  life's  laborious  way, 

As  a  sheltering  cloud  at  noon-tide, 

As  a  flaming  fire  by  night. 
Through  prosperity  and  sorrow 

It  will  guide  our  steps  aright. 

Till  we  reach  the  land  of  promise, 

When  the  toils  of  earth  are  past, 
Till  we  sleep  the  sleep  eternal 

In  the  realms  of  peace  at  last. 

— Union  Hymnal 


READINGS 
FROM  SCRIPTURE 


READINGS  FROM  SCRIPTURE 

By  Reference, 

For  Every  Day  of  the  Year 


Arranged  and   Classified  to  Present 
Under  Appropriate  Heads 

The  Doctrines,  Ethics  and  Institutes 
of  the  Jewish  Religion 

Edited  by 
MAURICE  H.  HARRIS,  A.  M.,  Ph.  D. 

Author  of 

"The  People  of  the  Book" 

"A   Thousand  Years  of  Jewish  History" 

"History  of  the  Medieval  Jenvs" 

"Modern  Jenvish  History" 


NEW  YORK 

BLOCK     PUBLISHING     COMPANY 
1919 


Copyright,  ±919 
By  Maurice  II.  'Harris 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 
Introduction   ----------87 

The  Bible  Books    -  88 

English  translations  of  the  Bible  -  -        -        -        -        80 

Judaism's  Universal  Message 
I.— God 

The  Manifestation  of  God     -        -        -        -        -        -        n 

The  Unity   of    God         -------        12 

The  Justice  of  God        -------        12 

The  1-ove  and  Mercy  of  God        -        -        -        -        -        12 

The  Nearness  of  God    -------13 

Providence       ---------        j^ 

II. — God  and  Man 

REVELATION    (The  Call  of  God)  :-----        14 

Faith  and  Consolation     ------        14 

Yearning  after  God         ------.  14 

WORSHIP:        ---------        15 

Thanksgiving    --------15 

Supplication      -        --        -        -        -        -        -        16 

Confession         --------         16 

THE  WORD  OF  GOD: 

The  Law  ---------        17 

Duty  to  God     --------17 

Letter  and   Spirit     -------17 

Freedom  and  Religious  Choice       -        -        -        -        18 

The  Correction  of  God    ------        18 

83 


4                                            CONTENTS  84 

III.— Man 

PAGE 

The  Dignity  of  Man      ...  19 

Noble  Types  of  Humanity     -  -                                            IQ 

Personal    Accountability'  19 

Retribution      -  19 

Reformation   (Purification)    •  20 

Duty  to  One's   Neighbor       -  20 

Duty  to  the  Poor  and  Defenseless  20 

Forbearande  Towards  an  Enemy  -                                          20 

Duty  to  Dumb  Creatures      -  20 
CARDINAL  VIRTUES  : 

Holiness    -  20 

Truth        -        -  21 

Honesty    -        -  21 

Self-Control      -  21 

A  Good  Name  -  21 

Industry    -  21 

Content     -        -  21 

Peace       -        -  22 

Wisdom  -        -        -  22 

VIRTUES  ILLUSTRATED  IN  THE  LIVES  OF  BIBI.I: 
CHARACTERS  : 
A  Life  Example    - 

Filial   Devotion     -  22 

Hospitality  22 

Humanity  -'2 
Chivalry 

Meekness      -  22 

Fidelity  22 
Patience 

Friendship  23 

Truth  23 

Magnanimity  23 

Fearlessness  before  Kings  23 

Unselfish  Zeal       -  23 

Resistance  of  Temptation  23 

Power  of  Faith  23 

Honesty  in  Public  Service  •                                            23 

Sympathy  for  the  Sinner  23 

Disinterested  Kindness  -                                           23 


(8s)                                     CONTEXTS  5 

IV. — Israel  and  His  Mission 

PAGE 

The  Selection  of  Israel  -------  24 

Israel  the  Servant   -  24 

Admonitions  from  Israel's  Past  24 

The  Restoration  of  Israel  24 

Judaism's  Sacred  Days 

The  Sabbath    --------        -25 

THE  THREE  PILGRIM  FESTIVALS 

Pesach    (Passover)          ___._--  25 

Shabuoth   (Pentecost)     -  25 

Succoth   (Tabernacles)    -------  25 

THE  Two  HOLY  DAYS 

Rosh  Hashana  (New  Year)    ------  26 

Yom  Kippur   (Day  of  Atonement)  26 

THE  Two  MINOR  FEASTS 
Hanuka    ----------26 

Purim       ----  _._26 

The  Fast  of  Ab  26 

V.— The  Future 

Messianic  Time       -                 ......  27 

Immortality      -                                                                          -  27 

VI. — Some  Literary  Aspects  of  the  Bible 

Life  in  Bible  Times  (Prose)   -                          -        -        -  28 

Bible    Pictures    (Poetry)  28 

Animals  and  Their  Ways                                                   -  29 

Symbols  and  Parables    -  29 

Biblical    Alaxims      -        -  31 


INTRODUCTION 


We  read  so  much  about  the  Bible  that  some  forget 
to  read  the  Bible  itself.  This  booklet  is  compiled  to 
stimulate  the  reading  of  Scripture  in  the  Jewish  home. 
The  dates  have,  of  course,  no  relation  to  the  readings 
chosen.  They  have  been  introduced  to  create  the  Bible 
reading  habit.  It  must  be  acknowledged  that  many 
want  to  read  the  Bible,  but  do  not  know  how.  A  lit- 
erature rather  than  a  book,  it  should  be  read  from, 
rather  than  read  through. 

The  readings  are  indicated,  not  quoted  in  full.  This 
was  done  in  order  to  send  readers  to  the  Book  itself, 
that  they  might  read  it  at  first  hand  and  see  it  in  its 
relation  to  the  context.  It  is  important  that  all  should 
be  made  familiar  with  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  and  not 
only  with  some  of  its  stories  and  texts. 

In  arranging  the  headings,  certain  points  have  been 
emphasized  to  correct  popular  errors.  To  those  who 
still  call  Judaism  a  tribal  religion  we  commend  the 
group  of  readings  under  "Judaism's  Universal  Mes- 
sage. To  answer  those  who  call  it  a  worship  of  the 
"letter  of  the  Law,"  a  group  of  readings  under  "Letter 
and  Spirit"  is  sufficient  answer.  For  the  benefit  of 
those  who  still  speak  of  the  "stern  God  of  the  Old 
Testament"  we  have  prepared  a  group  of  quotations 
on  the  "Love  and  Mercy  of  God."  Lastly,  the  series 
"Forbearance  toward  the  enemy"  is  a  rejoinder  to 
those  who  are  still  under  the  impression  that  the  He- 
brew Scripture  imposes  the  duty  of  hating  one's 
enemies. 

(87)  7 


8  SCRirTL'Kli.  READINGS  (88) 

As  the  ([notations  are  grouped  to  bring  together 
references  to  the  doctrines  and  institutes  of  the  Jewish 
religion,  this  may  also  take  the  place  of  a  Catechism 
and  serve  as  a  text-book  for  Ethics. 


THE  BIBLE  BOOKS 

To  facilitate  looking  up  the  quotations,  the  follow- 
ing sequence  of  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  is  appended : 

I. — The  Law 

The  Pentateuch,  or  Five  Books  of  Moses. 

Genesis.  Exodus. 

Leviticus.  Numbers. 

Deuteronomy. 

II.— The  Prophets 

(1)  The  Earlier  Prophets. 
Joshua.  Judges. 

First  Samuel.  Second  Samuel. 

First  Kings.  Second  Kings. 

(2)  The  Later  Prophets. 
Isaiah.  Jeremiah. 

Ezekiel. 

>*- 

The  Twelve :     Hosea.         Joel.         Amos. 

Obadiah.     Jonah.     Micah. 
Nahum.     Habakkuk.     Zephaniah. 
Haggai.     Zechariah.     Malachi', 


(8g)  THE  BIKLE  BOOKS  9 

III. — The  Writings  or  Hagiographa 

Psalms.  Proverbs. 

Job. 

The  Five  Scrolls:     Song  of  Songs.  Ruth. 

Lamentations.  Ecclesiastes. 

Esther 

Daniel.  Ezra.  Nehemiah. 

First  Chronicles  Second  Chronicles 

In  the  Septuagint  order,  which  is  followed  by  the 
Church,  the  following  variations  from  the  sequence  of 
Hebrew  Scriptures  occur : 

First — The  Writings   precede   the    Prophets. 

Second — Some  books  are  transferred  from  the  Writ- 
ings to  the  Prophets : 

Ruth  after  Judges  ; 
Lamentations  after  Jeremiah ; 
Daniel  after  Ezekiel 

Third — The  order  of  the  Writings  are  somewhat 
changed.  Job  preceding  Psalms  and  Esther  preceding 
the  Song  of  Songs. 

The  Septuagint  order  is  therefore  as  f ollows  :- 

Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuterenomy. 
Joshua,  Judges,  Ruth,  I  and  II  Samuel,  I  and  II  Kings, 
I  and  II  Chronicles. 

Ezra,  Nehemiah,  Esther.  Job.  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Eccle- 
siastes, Song  of  Songs. 

Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Lamentations,  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  Hosea, 
Joel,  Amos,  Obadiah,  Jonah.  Micah,  Nahum,  Habakkuk, 
Zephaniah,  Haggai,  Zechariah.  Malachi. 


io  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (yo) 


English  Translations  of  the  Bible 


The  Authorized  Version. 

This  was  issued  in  England  under  the  reign  of  King 
James  I  in  1611  comprising  the  best  results  of  Jewish 
and  Christian  scholarship  contained  in  earlier  transla- 
tions. 

The  Revised  Version. 

This  is  the  revision  of  the  Authorized  translation  by 
the  great  English  Biblical  authorities  of  the  Nineteenth 
Century. 

A  New  Translation. 

Chiefly  for  Jewish  use,  prepared  by  the  Jewish  Publi- 
cation Society  of  America  in  1917.  It  is  used  in  all  quo- 
tations throughout  this  book.  It  superseded  an  earlier 
translation  for  Jewish  use  by  Isaac  Leeser  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

We  further  recommend  for  Bible  students,  the  "Bible 
for  Home  Reading"  by  C.  G.  Montefiore ;  'The  Modern 
Reader's  Bible,"  edited' by  Moulton ;  "The  Temple  Bible," 
edited  by  various  scholars.  In  the  last  two,  each  book  is 
issued  as  a  separate  volume  and  is  presented  in  the 
modern  dress,  more  familiar  to  the  average  reader. 


(gi)  THE  BIBLE  BOOKS  u 

JUDAISM'S  UNIVERSAL  MESSAGE 

(See   also    "Israel    and   Messianic    Time") 

"My  house  shall  be  called  a  house  of  prayer  for 
all  peoples." — Isaiah  56:  7. 

January 

1.  I  Kings  8:  27-43. 

2.  Isaiah  19:  19-25. 

3.  Isaiah  49:  1-6. 

4.  Isaiah  56:  1-8. 

5.  Zechariah  8:  4-23. 


GOD 

'Lift  up  your  eyes  on  high  and  behold  who  hath 
created  these  things" — Isaiah  40:  26. 


Manifestation  of  God 

6.  I  Kings  18:  16-39. 

7...  1  Kings  19:  1-14. 

8.  Isaiah  40:  12-31. 

9.  Psalm  93. 

10.  Psalm  97. 

Omniscience   and   Omnipotence 

11.  Jeremiah  32:  16-27. 


12  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (92) 

January 

Omnipresence 

12.  Jonah  1: 

13.  Psalm  139:  1-12. 

God   in   Nature 

14.  Psalm  19. 

15.  Psalm  104. 

16.  Job  37. 

17.  Job  38:  1-30. 

Unity  of  God 

18.  Deuteronomy  6:  4-9  (The  Shema) 

19.  Isaiah  44:  6-20.    45:  5-7. 

Justice  of  God 

Shall  not  the  Judge  of  all  the  earth  do  justly" 
—Gen.  18:  25. 

20.  Ezekiel  33:  7-20. 

21.  Psalm  82. 

22.  Job  4. 

23.  Job  8. 

24.  Job  11:  7-20  (Beyond  human  fathom) 

God's  Love  and  Mercy 

(See   ''Day   of   Atonement") 

"The  mountains  may  depart  and  the  hills  be 
removed,  but  my  kindness  shall  not  depart 
from  thee" — Isaiah  54:  10. 

25.  Exodus  34:  1-8. 

26.  Isaiah  54:  1-10. 

27.  Hosea  6:  1-6. 

28.  Hosea  14:  2-10. 

29.  Joel  2:  12—3:  2. 

30.  Psalm  86. 

31.  Psalm  103. 


(93)  GOD  13 

February 

1.  Psalm  47. 

2.  Psalm  130. 

3.  Psalm  146. 

4.  Proverbs  3:  1-12. 

Nearness  of  God 

"The  Lord  is  nigh  to  all  that  call  upon  Him — to 
all  that  call  upon  Him  in  truth"— Psalm 
145:  18. 

5.  Isaiah  55. 

6.  Isaiah  57:  14-21. 

7.  Psalm  145. 


Providence 

"The  eyes  of  the  Lord  are  in  every  place  keep- 
ing1 watch  upon  the  evil  and  the  good." — 
Prov.  15:  3. 

8.  Genesis  45:  1-15. 

9.  Genesis  50:  14-21. 

10.  Psalm  66. 

11.  Psalm  90.     (A  psalm  of  life) 

12.  Psalm  107:  1-22. 

13.  Psalm  107:  23-43. 

14.  Psalm  127. 

15.  Psalm  138. 

16.  Proverbs  16:  1-11. 

17.  Esther  4:  1-17. 


i4  SCRIPTURE  KEADIXGS  CM) 

II 

GOD   AND   MAN 

"God  created  man  in  his  own  image." — Genesis 
1:  27. 

Revelation 
February 

(See    "Manifestation    of   God"   and   ''Pentecost") 

18.  Genesis  12:  1-9. 

19.  I  Samuel  3:  1-20. 

20.  Jeremiah  1:  6-19. 

21.  Exodus  3:  1-15. 

22.  Amos  3:  1-8. 

23.  Isaiah  6.     (The  Saving  Remnant) 

Faith  and  Consolation 

"The  just  shall  live  by  his  faith."— Habakkuk 
2:  4. 

"Though  he  slay  me,  yet  will  I  trust  in  him."- 
Job  13:  15. 

24.  I  Kings  17:  1-16. 

25.  Psalm  4. 

26.  Psalm  23.     (God  the  Shepherd) 

27.  Psalm  62. 

28  Job  42:  1-6     (The  inscrutable  mystery  of 

God's  ways) 

29.  Daniel  1. 

March 

1.  Psalm  73. 

2.  Psalm  91. 


(<J5)  GOD  IS 

March 

Unshaken    by    the    triumph    of    evil 

3.  Psalm  37:  1-20. 

4.  Psalm  37:  21-40. 

5.  Jeremiah  17:  5-13. 

6.  Psalm  3. 

7.  Psalm  56. 

8.  Psalm  77. 

In    distress    and    danger 

9.  Daniel  3:  1-18. 

10.  Daniel  6. 

Yearning  After  God 

11.  Psalms  42  and  43. 

12.  Psalm  84. 

Worship 

"Worship  the  Lord  in  the  beauty  of  holiness." 
—Psalm  29:  2. 

13.  Psalm  5.     (Morning  Hymn) 

14.  Psalm  29. 

15.  Psalm  36:  6-13. 

16.  Psalm  89:  1-19. 

17.  Psalm  95. 

18.  Psalm  96. 

19.  Psalm  97. 

20.  Psalm  98. 

21.  I  Chronicles  29:  10-19. 

Thanksgiving 

22.  Psalm  18:  1-28. 

23.  Psalm  18:  29-51. 

24.  Psalm  66. 

25.  Psalm  112. 

Prals« 

26.  Psalm  33. 

27.  Psalm  36. 


16  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (g6) 

March 

28.  Psalm  113. 

29.  Psalm  40.     (For  deliverance) 

Harvest   Hymns 

30.  Psalm  65. 

31.  Psalm  67. 

April 

1.  Psalm  111. 

2.  Psalm  113. 

3.  Psalm  116. 

4.  Psalm  136. 

5.  Psalm  148. 

6.  Psalm  140. 

Supplication 

7.  Psalm  7. 

8.  Psalms  12  and  13. 

9.  Psalm  41. 

10.  Psalm  57. 

11.  Psalm  141. 

12.  Jonah  2:  3-10. 
13.-  Nehemiah  1. 

Cry    of    the    Persecuted 

14.  Psalm  26. 

15.  Psalm  31. 

16.  Psalm  38. 

17.  Psalm  94. 

Confession 

18.  Deuteronomy  27:  9-26. 

19.  Psalm  25. 

20.  Psalm  32. 

21.  Daniel  9:  3-19. 


(97)  GOD  AX  I)  MAN  17 

The  Word  of  God 

The    Law 

"The  law  of  the  Lord  is  perfect,  restoring  the 

April  soul."— Psalm  19:  7. 

22.  Deuteronomy  4:  1-10. 

23.  Deuteronomy  28:  1-14.    (Blessing  of  Obe- 

dience) 

24.  Joshua  1:  1-9. 

25.  Nehemiah   8.      (Ezra    makes    known    the 

Law) 

26.  Psalm  119:  1-16. 

27.  Psalm  119:  17-40. 

28.  Psalm  119:  41-64. 

29.  Psalm  119:  73-96. 

30.  Psalm  119:  97-112. 
May 

1.  Psalm  119:  113-128. 

2.  Psalm  119:  129-144. 

3.  Psalm  119:  145-160. 

4.  Psalm  119:  161-176. 

Duty  to  God 

"Fear   God  and   keep   His   commandments,   for 
this  is  the  whole  man." — Ecclesiastes  12:  13. 

5.  Deuteronomy  10:  12. — 11:  1. 

6.  I  Chronicles '28:  1-10. 

Letter  and  Spirit 

"To  obey  is  better  than   sacrifice." —  I   Samuel 
15:  22. 

7.  Deuteronomy  10:  12-22. 

8.  Isaiah  1:  10-20. 

9.  Jeremiah  7:  1-23. 
10.            Amos  5:  4-24. 

11  Micah  6:  1-8. 


18  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (t# 

May 

Freedom  of  Religious  Choice 

12.  Deuteronomy  30:  11-20. 

13.  Joshua  24:  14-27. 

The  Correction  of  God 

(The   chastening   of   the   Lord) 

"Whom  the  Lord  loveth  He  correcteth."— Pro 
verbs  3:  12. 

14.  Deuteronomy  8. 

15.  Psalm  30. 

16.  Psalm  119:  65-72. 

17.  Proverbs  3:  1-12. 

18.  Lamentations  3:  19-42. 


(99)  GOD  AND  MAN  19 

III 

MAN 
May 

The  Dignity  of  Man 

19.  Genesis  1:  26 — 2:  7.     (Man's  divine  char- 

acter) 

20.  Genesis  9:  1-7.    (Sanctity  of  human  life) 

21.  Psalm  8. 

Noble  Types  of  Humanity 

22.  Psalm  15. 

23.  Psalm  24. 

24.  Psalm  101. 

25.  Psalm  112. 

26.  Proverbs     31:      10-31.       (The     virtuous 

woman) 

27.  Psalm    1.      (Contrast    of    righteous    with 

wicked) 

28.  Psalm  128.     (A  model  home) 

Personal  Accountability 

29.  Exodus  32:  30-35. 

30.  Ezekiel  18:  1-20. 

31.  Ezekiel  18:  21-32. 

Retribution 

(See  "Immortality") 

June 

1.  Exodus  22:  1-16.     (Penal  Laws) 

2.  Genesis  4:  1-15.     (Conscience) 

3.  MalachiS:  1-6;  13-18. 
4  Proverbs  11:  1-18. 

5.  Proverbs  11:  19—12:  3. 

6.  Proverbs  23:  10-35.     (Intemperance) 

7.  Proverbs  28. 


20  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (100) 

June 

Reformation 

(See   "Day   of   Atonement") 

8.  Ezekiel  36:  16-32. 

9.  Hosea  14:  2-10. 

Duty  to  One's  Neighbor 

"Execute  true  judgment  and  show  mercy   and 
compassion   every   man   to   his   brother. "- 
Zechariah  7:  9. 
10  Exodus  23:  1-13. 

11.  Leviticus  19:9-18;  33-37. 
Duty  to  the  Poor  and  Defenseless 

12.  Exodus  22:  20-26. 

13.  Leviticus  25:  25-43. 

14.  Deuteronomy  24:  10-21. 
Forbearance  Towards  an  Enemy 

"Say  not  as  he  hath  done  to  me,  I  will  do  so  to 
him."— Proverbs  24:  29. 

15.  Genesis  50:   14-26.   (  Returning  good  for 

evil) 

16.  I  Samuel  26:  6-25. 

17.  I  Samuel  24:  2-20. 

18.  Proverbs  24:  1-20. 

19.  Proverbs  25:  18-28. 

Duty  to  Dumb  Creatures 

"A    righteous    man    regardeth    the    life    of    his 
beast."— Proverbs  12:  10. 

20.  Deuteronomy  22:  1-10. 

CARDINAL  VIRTUES 
Holiness 

"Ye  shall  be  holy,  for  1  the  Eternal,  your  God, 
am  holy." — Leviticus  19:  2. 

21.  Leviticus  11:  1-23. 


(loi)  MAN  21 

June 

22.  Leviticus  11:  24-47.     (Clean  and  unclean) 

23.  Isaiah  35. 

24.  Jeremiah  31 :  23-30. 

Truth 

"Yc  shall  not  lie  one  to  another." — Leviticus 
19:  11. 

25.  Exodus  18:  13-27.     (In  government) 

26.  Isaiah  26:  1-10. 

27.  Proverbs  12:  17-28. 

Honesty 

28.  Deuteronomy  25:  13-16. 

29.  Habakkuk  2:  1-14. 

Self-Control 

"He  that  is  slow  to  anger  is  better  than  the 
mighty  and  he  that  ruleth  his  own  spirit  is 
greater  than  he  that  taketh  a  city." — Pro- 
verbs 16:  32. 

30.  Proverbs  1:  7-19.     (Resistance  of  tempta- 

tion) 

A  Good  Name 
July 

1.  Proverbs  22:  1-12. 

Industry 

2.  Proverbs  6:  6-19 

• 

Content 

3.  Genesis  13:  1-10. 

4.  Exodus  15:  22-27.    17:  1-7. 

5.  Numbers  11:  1-15.     (Discontent) 

6.  Proverbs  15:  13-27. 

7.  Proverbs  30:  7-9.    Ecclesiastes  5:  9—6:  3. 

(Warning  to  the  rich) 


22  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (102) 

Peace 

(Se«    "Messianic    Time'') 

"Depart  from  evil  and  do  good ;  seek  peace  and 
July         pursue  it." — Psalm  34:  15. 

8.  Isaiah  2:  1-5. 

9.  Psalm  46. 

Wisdom 

10.  Proverbs  1:  20-33.     (Wisdom's  warning) 

11.  Proverbs  2:  1-15. 
12             Proverbs  4:  1-13. 

13.  Proverbs  4:  14-27.  (Parental  admonition) 

14.  Proverbs  3:  13-35. 

15.  Proverbs  9:  1-12. 

16.  Proverbs  8.     (Wisdom  personified) 

17.  Job  28.     (Where  found?) 

Virtues  Illustrated  in  the  Lives  of  Bible  Characters 

A   Life   Example 

18.  Job  29. 

19.  job  31:  1-20. 

20.  Job  31:  21-40. 

Filial    Devotion 

21.  Genesis  44:  18-34.  (Judah) 

Hospitality 

22.  Genesis  18:  1-8.     (Abraham) 

23.  Genesis  24:  10-27.     (Rebecca) 

xHumanity 

24.  Genesis  29:  1-10.     (Jacob) 

Chivalry 

25.  Exodus  2:  11-22.     (Moses) 

26.  IT  Samuel  23:  13-17.    (David) 

Meekness 

27.  Genesis  41:  9-16.     (Joseph) 

Fidelity 

28.  Ruth  1:  1-18.    (Ruth) 

Patience 

29.  Job  1.    (Job) 


(i03)  MAN  23 

July 

30.  Job  2:  1-10.    (Job) 

Friendship 

31.  I  Samuel  20:  1-17.     (David  and  Jonathan) 
August 

1.  I  Samuel  20:  18-42.   (David  and  Jonathan) 

2.  II  Samuel  9. 

Truth 

3.  I  Kings  22:  1-14.     (Micaiah) 

Magnanimity 

4.  Numbers  11:  16-29.  (Moses) 

5.  I  Samuel  24.     (David) 

6.  I  Samuel  26.    (David) 

7.  I  Kings  20:  23-34.    (Ahab) 

Fearlessness    Before   Kings 

8.  I  Kings  18:  7-19.     (Elijah) 

9.  I  Samuel  15:  13-31.     (Samuel) 

10.  Jeremiah  26:  1-19.    (Jeremiah) 

11.  Esther  4.     (Esther) 

Unselfish    Zeal 

12.  Nehemiah  2.    (Nehemiah) 

13.  Nehemiah  5:  1-13.     (Nehemiah) 

Resistance   of   Temptation 

14.  Genesis  39:  1-20.     (Joseph) 

Power  of   Faith 

"There  is  no  restraint  to  the  Lord  to  save  by 
many  or  by  few." — I  Samuel  14:  6. 

15.  Genesis  22:  1-19.    (Abraham) 

16.  I  Samuel  17:  31-45.    (David) 

Honesty    in   Public   Service 

"Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in  his  business,  he 
shall  stand  before  kings." — Proverbs,  22:  29. 

17.  I  Samuel  12:  1-15.    (Samuel) 

Sympathy   for  the  Sinner 

18.  Genesis  18:  16-32.     (Abraham) 

Disinterested    Kindness 

19.  II  Kings  4:  8-13,     (The  Shunemite) 


24  SCRIPTURE  RK.-IDIXGS  (104) 

IV 
ISRAEL    AND    HIS    MISSION 

August 

The  Selection  of  Israel 

20.  Deuteronomy  4:  5-20. 

21.  Isaiah  41 :  9-20. 

22.  Isaiah  43:  1-21. 

23.  Isaiah  44:  1-8. 

Israel  the  Servant 

24.  Isaiah  42:  1-9. 

25.  Isaiah  49:  1-13. 

26.  Isaiah  52:    13—53:    12.      (The    suffering 

servant) 
Admonitions  from  Israel's  Past 

27.  Deuteronomy  4:  25-40. 

28.  Deuteronomy  6:  10-25. 

29.  Deuteronomy  32:  1-18. 

30.  Psalm  78:  1-39. 

31.  Psalm  78:  40-72. 
September 

1.  Psalm  105:  1-22. 

2.  Psalm  105:  23-45. 

3.  Isaiah  63:  7-19. 

The  Restoration  of  Israel 

(See    "Messianic    Time") 

4.  Isaiah  10:    20-23    and    Isaiah    35.       (The 

Remnant) 

5.  Isaiah  40:  1-11. 

6.  Isaiah  52:  1-12. 

7.  Isaiah  62. 

8  Jeremiah  29:  4-14. 

9.  Jeremiah  31:  1-14. 


Oo5)  25 

September 

10.  Jeremiah  32:  16-44. 

11.  Jeremiah  33:  6-16. 

12.  Amos  9:  9-15. 

13.  Zephaniah  3:  9-20. 

14.  Psalm  126.    (Its  fulfilment) 

15.  Nehemiah  9:  6-37. 

JUDAISM'S  SACRED  DAYS 

(For  detailed   description   see   page   59) 

16.  Leviticus  23:  1-36.     (General  summary) 

The  Sabbath 

17.  Exodus  31:  12-18. 

18.  Leviticus  25:  1-7.     (The  Sabbatic  year) 

19.  Nehemiah  13:  15-22. 

THE  THREE  FESTIVALS  OF  PILGRIMAGE 

20.  Deuteronomy  16:  1-17. 

a — Pesach,  Passover 

21.  Exodus  12:  37-42. 

22.  Exodus  13:  3-10. 

23.  Exodus  15:  1-18.     (The  Seventh  Day) 

24.  II  Chronicles  30.     (Hezekiah's  Passover) 

25.  II  Chronicles  35:    1-19.      (Josiah's    Pass- 

over) 

b— Shabuoth,  Pentecost 

26.  Exodus  9:  1-8. 

27.  Exodus  20:  1-14.     (The  Decalogue). 

28.  Deuteronomy  5:  6-18.     (The  Decalogue) 
c — Succoth,  Tabernacles     (Feast  of  Ingath- 
ering) 

29.  Leviticus  23:  33-44. 

30.  Deuteronomy    34.      (Sh'mini    Atzereth  — 

Feast  of  Conclusion) 


26  SCRIPTURE  RI-JDIXGS  (106) 

October 

1.  Nehemiah  8:  13-18. 


THE  TWO   HOLY   DAYS 
a — Rosh  Hashana,  New  Year 

2.  Nehemiah  8:  1-12. 

b — Yom  Kippur,  Day  of  Atonement 

(See    "Love   and   Mercy   of   God,"    Individual 
Accountability"   and    "Confession") 

3.  Leviticus  16:  29-34.     Isaiah  58. 

4.  Jonah  3. 

5.  Psalm  51. 

THE  TWO  MINOR  FEASTS 
a — Hanuka,   Dedication 

6.  Psalm  74.     (Maccabean  Psalm) 

7.  Psalm  115. 

8.  Psalm  118. 

9.  Daniel  11:  21-45.     (Vision  of  Antiochus' 

Persecution) 

From    the  Apocrypha 

10.  I  Maccabees  2:  1-38. 

11.  I  Maccabees  2:  49—3:  9. 

b — Purim,  Feast  of  Lots 

12.  Esther  9:  20-32. 

(From   the  Apocrypha) 

13.  Esther  14:  1-12. 

14.  Esther  15. 

THE  FAST  OF  AB 

(National    Overthrow    and    Exile) 

15.  II  Kings  25:  1-22. 

16.  II  Chronicles  36:  5-23. 

17.  Lamentations  of  Jeremiah  1. 


(107)  ISRAEL  AND  HIS  MISSION  27 


V 
THE    FUTURE 

Messianic  Time 

(See    "Israel    anl    His    Mission") 

"All  will   call   upon   the   name   of   the   Lord  to 
serve   him   with   one   consent." — Zephaniah 
3:  9. 
October 

18.  Isaiah  11:  1-13. 

19.  Isaiah  12. 

20.  Isaiah  32.     (Ideal  Commonwealth) 

21.  Isaiah  60. 

22.  Isaiah  61. 

23.  Isaiah  65:  17-25. 

24.  Jeremiah  31:  23-34. 

25.  Micah4:  1-  7. 

Immortality 

"Thy  dead  shall  live Awake  and  sing  ye 

that  dwell  in  the  dust." — Isaiah  24:  19. 

"In  the  way  of  righteousness  is  life,  and  in  the 
pathway  thereof  there  is  no  death." — Pro- 
verbs 12:  28. 

26.  Isaiah  25:  1-9. 

27.  Daniel  12:  1-10. 
2S.  Psalm  16. 


28 


(io8) 


VI 


SOME  LITERARY    ASPECTS    OF    THE    BIBLE 

Life  in  Bible  Times  (Prose) 
October 

29.  Genesis  28:     10-22.  (The    Dream    of 

Heaven) 

30.  Genesis  29:  1-10.     (Watering  the  Flock) 

31.  Genesis  48.     (A  Grandfather's  Blessing) 
November 

1.  Leviticus  25:  8-24.     (The  Jubilee) 

2.  Number  6:  1-21.     (The  Nazarite) 

3.  Deuteronomy  15:1-11.    (The  Year  of  Re- 

lease) 

4.  Deuteronomy  15:    12-18.      (The    Hebrew 

Servant) 

5.  Deuteronomy  19:     1-13.        (The    City    of 

Refuge) 

6.  Deuteronomy  26.          ( First     Fruits     and 

Tithes) 

7.  Joshua  22:  9-34.     (The  Altar  of  Witness) 

8.  I  Samuel  8.     (An  Oriental  King) 

9.  I  Kings  10.     (The  splendor  of  Solomon) 

10.  I  Kings  20:  1-32.     (The  boastful  Benhadad 

and  the  generous  Ahab) 

11.  I  Kings  21.    (Naboth's  vineyard) 

12.  II  Kings  5:  1-19.     (Curing  the  leper) 

13.  II  Kings  5:  20-27.     (Punishment  of  cov- 

etousness) 

14.  Ruth  2:  1-20.     (The  Harvest) 

Bible  Pictures  (Poetry) 

15.  Numbers  23:  7-24.     (Balaam's  Blessing) 

16.  Numbers  24:  1-19.     (The  tents  of  Jacob) 


(IOQ)  THE  FUTURE  29 

November 

17.  II  Samuel  1:   17-27.     (Lament  over  Saul 

and  Jonathan) 

18.  I  Kings  3:  4-15.     (Solomon's  dream) 

19.  Isaiah  14:    3-21.      (The    nether    world  - 

Sheol) 

20.  Isaiah  44:  9-20.     (The  building  of  an  idol) 

21.  Song  of  Songs  2:  8-17.     (Spring) 

22.  Ecclesiastes  12:  1-7.     (Old  age  and  death) 

Animals  and  Their  Ways 

Illustrating    the    unfathomable    greatness    of    God 

23.  Job  39:  1-18.     (Creatures  of  the  wild) 

24.  Job  39:   19-30.     (The  war  horse  and  the 

vulture) 

25.  Job  40:  15-24.    (The  hippopotamus) 

26.  Job  40:  25^41:  26.    (The  leviathan) 

Symbols  and  Parables 

27.  Judges  9:  6-21.     (The  Bramble  King— the 

worthless  ruler) 

28.  II  Samuel  12:  1-15.     (The  one  ewe  lamb — 

tin-  crueltv  of  selfishness) 

29.  Isaiah  5:   1-7.     (The  parable  of  the  vine- 

yard— ingratitude) 

30.  Jeremiah  2:    1-13.      (The   fount   of   living 

waters  and  the  broken  cisterns — God 
and  the  idols) 

December 

1.  Jeremiah   13:    1-11.    (The   ruined  girdle — 

moral  deterioration) 

2.  Jeremiah  18:   1-12.     (The  potter  and  the 

clay-God  and  Israel) 

3.  Jeremiah   35.      (The    Rechabites   and   the 

wine — obedience) 


30  SCRIPTURE  READINGS  (no) 

December 

4.  Ezekiel  34.     (The  good  and  bad  shepherd 

— the    false    and    the    true    leader    of 
Israel) 

5.  Ezekiel  37:  1-14.    (Reviving  the  dry  bones 

— the  restoration  of  Israel) 

6.  Ezekiel   37:    15-28.      (The   joined   rods  - 

reunion  of  Israel  and  Judah) 

7.  Daniel  2:  25-49.    (The  King's  dream — rise 

and  fall  of  nations) 

8.  Daniel  8:   1-14.     (The   horned  he-goat  — 

Israel's  rulers  and  the  persecution  of 
Antiochus) 

From    the  Apocrypha 

9.  Ecclesiastes  9:  14-18.    (The  parable  of  the 

little  city — the  power  of  wisdom) 

From    the  Apocrypha 

10.  r  Esdras  3:  18—4:  12.     (The  true  test  oL 

strength) 
I  Esdras  4:  13-41. 

•    Bible  Maxims 

11.  Ecclesiastes  5:  1-11.     (God  and  man) 

12.  Ecclesiastes  7:  1-14.     (Life's  serious  side) 

13.  Ecclesiastes  11.     (Recompense) 

14.  Proverbs  10:  1-14.     (Virtue  versus  sin) 

15.  Proverbs  10:  15-32. 

16.  Proverbs  12. 

17.  Proverbs  13. 

18.  Proverbs  14:  1-18.     (Wisdom  and  folly) 

19.  Proverbs  14:  19-35. 

20.  Proverbs  15:  1-14.     (Power  of  words) 


(in)  THE  FUTURE  31 


December 

21. 

Proverbs  16: 

16-33.  (Wisdom  and  morals) 

22. 

Proverbs  17. 

23. 

Proverbs  18: 

1-12. 

24. 

Proverbs  19. 

25. 

Proverbs  20. 

(Prudent  counsel) 

26. 

Proverbs  21. 

(Upright  life  and  its  con- 

verse) 

27. 

Proverbs  22: 

17-29.  (Probity  and  charity) 

28. 

Proverbs  24: 

23-34.    (Injustice  and  sloth) 

29. 

Proverbs  25: 

4-15.      (Modesty  and  mod- 

eration) 

30. 

Proverbs  27. 

(Humility) 

31. 

Proverbs  29. 

(Life's  contrasts) 

A     000  376  046     9 


